


Garden Falls League

by skimmingthesurface, SylviaW1991



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, M/M, Mystery, Pokemon AU, awkward teen romance, pinescone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-25 16:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 42,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4968256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skimmingthesurface/pseuds/skimmingthesurface, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylviaW1991/pseuds/SylviaW1991
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something was very, very amiss. Dipper was certain of it, but he could quite put his finger on what. It had started with Grunkle Ford not being at the lab at all, only Grunkle Stan there. Not even Fiddleford was around, all mentions of him causing Grunkle Stan to be more evasive than normal. It was all very strange.</p><p>Still, the instructions he and Mabel had been given were clear: <i>Catch Pokemon</i>. Easy. Maybe. Not in the slightest.</p><p>----</p><p>On a quest for their Grunkle Ford, twins Mabel and Dipper Pines find a lot more than badges and Pokemon research await them. A team of Pokemon thieves with who-knows-what planned need to be stopped. With newly acquired friends Wirt and Greg by their side, nothing can stop them! Not even the distraction of a budding romance between Wirt and Dipper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Catch or Fall

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is part of a weekly stream that we're working on through Google docs, an interactive storytelling experience! The updates for these chapters will likely coincide with the streams, though it depends on how much we can get written in a single stream and how much more writing we will have to do after the fact, but updates will probably be once a week or every other week. We'll see how things go.
> 
> Your very own Pokemon legend is about to unfold! A world of dreams and adventures with Pokemon awaits! Let's go!

Through his entire life, Pokemon had seemed like more of a concept than a reality. Some kids leaving home at eleven with starters given by their resident professors to start a grand journey, fraught with perils and an abundance of excitement. Catching the little creatures and all their varieties, watching them grow and evolve, winning badges at gyms, defeating the Elite Four - it all seemed like a dream when the most interesting thing Dipper’s mom did with her Pichu was zap the power now and then. At eleven, three kids from his town had gone on their journey, and he and his twin had been left. Ugh. It wasn’t fair.

At least at twelve they’d been able to go on a miniature adventure. Each clinging to the feathers of a Pidgeot, they’d been flown across regions to spend a summer with their great-uncles in their Pokemon lab. Well, half of it was a Pokemon lab. The other half was a bizarre shop of Pokemon oddities that had proven to be not nearly as interesting as the woods around town had been.

Ghost and psychic types had abounded, with Dipper eager to explore and discover every single one of them. It hadn’t always ended well and, really, he still had no idea just how much of that summer was true and how much had been the result of an Abra’s hypnosis. It had been a crazy ride, at the very least, and that had been the summer he’d gotten his Eevee, immediately naming it Tyrone. His very first Pokemon.

And just his luck the thing was a girl that he had no idea what to do with. Her aversion to Poke Balls was a rarely documented one, but he quickly found that he didn’t mind that overmuch. The brown and white bundle of fluff was fond of draping herself across his shoulders and never failed to take up the majority of his pillow once night fell. For a boy who often felt lonely, the purring furball was a great boon. A constant companion to keep his spirits high.

For the scientific and curious part of him, having an Eevee around meant possibilities, and those were boundless. Helping Grunkle Ford in his lab and exploring the woods with his sister had given him access to plenty of evolution stones. Once he had her trained up some - not altogether difficult when fending off the Pokemon of haunted woods - he could evolve her into anything he wanted. Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, Sylveon - this little normal type had limitless potential and, he was sure, there could be more evolutions in store for her as more and more trainers and explorers uncovered more of the world. Species thought long extinct had begun cropping up, and Dipper poured over the discoveries with wide eyes.

His twin, meanwhile, did her learning outside of books. The Tepig she’d been given by Grunkle Stan - who she had immediately dubbed Waddles - was used as vigorously as the Poke Balls she found in bushes. She managed to catch a Smeargle once and considered her arsenal complete. Two whole Pokemon doubled her fighting prowess and made her twice the trainer her brother was.

But when he still beat her in a battle with nothing but tackle because she didn’t know the first thing about a Smeargle’s abilities, they could at least agree that both styles had their pluses and minuses.

Once home, while training in woods that were significantly less haunted and, in Dipper’s opinion, more dull, the twins were both able to try their hand at catching Pokemon with Poke Balls given to them by their parents. Dipper was fascinated by it, nearly taking it apart to find out how it could take a living, breathing creature and reduce it to a digital jumble inside a little surface-

Okay, maybe he could understand a little of why his Eevee didn’t appreciate living in one. If he was a Pokemon, he’d likely find more enjoyment in bothering his trainer too.

He ended up not taking it apart, yet also couldn’t capture the Pokemon they came across. Mostly Rattata and Caterpie and one Pidgey that nearly took his head off with a wing attack. All either fainted in one or two hits thanks to the strength of his Eevee or, in the Pidgey’s case, just flew off. By the time they found two Nidorans rolling in the tall grass, he’d thrown his Poke Ball at his sister in a fit of displeasure.

Giddy, Mabel stepped up to both of them and let her Smeargle loose. Still a little shaky on his abilities, she fumbled through weakening the two enough for them to be snagged triumphantly. “I’m the best trainer in the world!” she decided, scooping up the two Poke Balls and dancing with them. Her Smeargle sat in the grass and watched, and Dipper dropped down beside it with a huff.

“You barely even got them,” he grumbled, Tyrone climbing into his lap to be scratched behind the ears. 

“But I did!” She boogied over to him, flopping down. Smeargle was given a hug before being called back into his Poke Ball. “We should go home so mom can heal them, and then you can have one.”

He frowned. “What?”

Still holding her two new captures, she used the Poke Balls to gesture. “We’re twins, they’re twins. It’s perfect, Dipper! You can have the boy, and I’ll have the girl.”

“I don’t have anything to trade,” he protested, his hold on Tyrone a protective one.

“Oh, pssh.” She clipped the Poke Balls to her loose belt and stuck her tongue out. “You don’t have to trade all the time, Dipdop. Sometimes a gift’s a gift! Besides, it was your Poke Ball anyway.”

So in a year, Dipper acquired two Pokemon and Mabel three. He felt like a big, dumb failure for all his acquired knowledge, but at least every summer spent with their Grunkles was another summer closer to Dipper becoming a Pokemon professor himself. The absolute awe he’d felt for Grunkle Ford at twelve hadn’t diminished in the slightest as thirteen and fourteen passed by. At fifteen, though, something was amiss.

Something was very, very amiss. Dipper was certain of it, but he could quite put his finger on what. It had started with Grunkle Ford not being at the lab at all, only Grunkle Stan there. Not even Fiddleford was around, all mentions of him causing Grunkle Stan to be more evasive than normal. It was all very strange.

Still, the instructions he and Mabel had been given were clear: _Catch Pokemon_. Easy. Maybe. Not in the slightest. It was easy for Mabel, at any rate. One month into their very own Pokemon journey and she had a full set of six. Dipper had a grand total of exactly two.

At least Espurr and Petilil felt like his as much as they did his sister, Dipper the one who knew their battle moves and could deduce their levels. She’d also snagged an Eevee for herself to play with Tyrone, which had very quickly ended up a Glaceon after an intense battle with a Cubchoo had leveled up her Eevee. Right next to an Ice Rock.

“Don’t worry, bro-bro! You’ll get more Pokemon eventually!” she assured him. Not entirely convinced, Dipper sighed. Thankfully, her being better at catching Pokemon didn’t necessarily translate into her being a better battler.

Each Nidoran had an everstone to keep them from evolving, so both looked much the same as they had when first captured. Their levels, however, were drastically different. While Mabel’s had fainted against Manly Dan’s fighting gym, Dipper had hung on with his normal and poison types and won his first badge. Mabel had won an Axe Badge as well, but it had taken her a bit more practice.

Their second badges had gone much more smoothly. Mabel had again gone first, struggling some against Jon’s water type Pokemon with her main being a fire type, but the Raincloud Badge was pinned to her bag, the purse slung over her shoulder much less practical than Dipper’s satchel. His Raincloud Badge was in a case inside, and he’d taken down three of the gym leader’s Pokemon using only Tyrone.

They’d spent the remainder of the day traveling. Barely halfway between the second and third towns, the two had taken to the woods to find more Pokemon to send back home through the PC in the Pokemon Center.

Mabel had four more Poke Balls full of fresh acquisitions when they stopped to rest. Dipper sprawled in the dirt, Tyrone snuggled in his lap as she licked her paws clean of the treat he’d given her. He stroked her back, frowning into the flames of the campfire they’d started. Waddles was out of his Poke Ball as well, still lapping at a healing potion after his battles that evening.

“So should we stay around here for a few days?” Mabel wondered, her Tepig cradled in her lap. “Your DexNav’s been blinking a lot.”

“Yeah, probably. Maybe I’ll actually catch something else.” When Mabel didn’t hide a snort of laughter fast enough, Dipper lifted his gaze from the flame to fix her with a bland stare. “Wow, Mabel. Wow.”

“I’m sorry!” she burst, her giggles betraying any sort of apology. “It’s just- oh my gosh, Dipper. It’s been three years, bro-bro. It’s okay that you’ll never catch a Pokemon by yourself. I’ll give you some of mine.”

He fell onto his back, stirring his Eevee enough for her to pad up and curl up on his chest, unperturbed by the rise and fall of his breathing. “Thanks so very much. I can hardly wait,” he monotoned, sending his sister into another round of giggles. “No, but seriously, we’ll stick around this area for a little while. We need to fill up this Pokedex and catch as many Pokemon as we can for Grunkle Ford, and the badges are fun and all, but that’s the priority. We’re on a research mission.”

“Blahblahblah. I’m a huge nerd. Blah. Let’s study Pokemon! Blahblah!”

Gazing at the tops of trees, the light fading as night began to fall, Dipper rolled his eyes. “Ty, do you want to go give her a solid tackle?” She chirped, ears twitching, and Dipper scratched her back. “You can go easy on her.” She trilled, hunkering down in dismissal of the idea.

Mabel grinned. “She loves me.”

“Someone has to,” he retorted and missed the way she stuck her tongue out because Tyrone shot up. “Ty?”

She sniffed the air, ears wiggling madly and tail perked. As Dipper reached out for her, she was suddenly running. “Ty!” Dipper rolled to his feet, eyes wide. “Hey!”

“Dip-”

“Stay here with the stuff,” he ordered, fumbling in his bag for a flashlight before scrambling after his Eevee. Running off wasn’t like her. “Ty! Tyrone, get back here!”

 

\----

 

If someone had told Wirt that his day would end with him and his brother trapped in a dark, damp cave without a Vulpix and without an Eevee, then he would’ve replied, “See? This is why I can’t do nice things for Greg.” But no one told him that, so he foolishly tried to do a nice thing for Greg.

It had all started that morning...

“Wirt! Wirt, come on, Wirt! You promised!”

There were many things one should not promise without taking into account that their younger brother would not wait until the sun had risen before demanding that they make good on said promise, Wirt reflected as he dragged his blanket further over his head in an attempt to ignore the bouncing, baby butterball at the foot of his bed. The warmth nestled beside him abandoned him to relocate, though he honestly couldn’t blame the Vulpix for her little snort of displeasure as she leapt from the bed to the floor. Ve was always particular about how she slept, both she and Ribbon adamant on snuggling with Wirt all through the night, pressed up against him or on top of him.

He had no idea how he’d ended up with such demanding Pokemon. At least Olive was nothing like the two of them. Or like Gregory.

“Wirt!” The covers were ripped away and Greg’s face was suddenly in Wirt’s, beaming brightly enough to make him actually wince as if it was light source. “Get. Up.”

“N. O.” Wirt tried to roll over, waking his Eevee from her comfortable resting place right next to his face. He ended up with a mouthful of fur and Ribbon blinked at him before staying put exactly where she was, giving Wirt no choice but to sit up or be smothered.

The latter was strangely appealing as Greg kept bouncing. “But you promised, Wirt! You said, and I quote,” Greg sucked in a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks and chest, hands on his hips as he stared down at Wirt, “‘I’ll take you out on Route Twelve tomorrow morning and catch you a Pokemon of your very own, Greg. And that’s a rock type fact.’ Well, it’s tomorrow and it’s morning, but we’re not on Route Twelve and we’re not catching Pokemon, so something is very wrong with this picture, brother o’ mine.”

Wirt huffed, cracking open one eye to peer at his brother and sulk. “Yeah, well ‘morning’ is very vague, Greg. Morning can mean six in the morning, sure, yeah, or morning could mean eleven fifty-nine a.m. Personally, I’m leaning towards the latter. Now go away. We catch Pokemon when I say so.”

They did not catch Pokemon when Wirt said so. Not five minutes later, Greg had successfully poked and prodded Wirt enough to get him out of bed and dressed, roping his traitorous Pokemon into assisting. Light was only just peeking out over the horizon as the brothers crept their way into the kitchen, their parents still asleep as far as they could tell, and Wirt’s Gloom, Vulpix, and Eevee followed at their heels.

Nabbing some snacks from the cupboard to stuff in his satchel, for humans and Pokemon alike, Wirt also grabbed a little something for a quick breakfast to eat on the way, hoping that by some miracle the light sustenance would assist in waking him up some. As he closed the door to the pantry, he nearly jumped a mile high and choked on his own yelp when he found his step-dad standing right beside him.

“Good morning, Wirt!” Sporting a broad grin, Jonathan clapped his hand on Wirt’s shoulder to try and ease his bristled nerves. “This is certainly a wonderful surprise! I never see you up this early. What’s the occasion?” 

“Uh…” Wirt stared at him, still trying to restart his heart as his mom entered the kitchen behind Jonathan.

“The boys are up to something,” she answered for him, though she winked and threw a smile his way, until she realized that her oldest son had indeed paled and clearly was up to something. “Wirt…”

“Taking Greg out to get a Pokemon? What? No, that’s not what I’m doing at all. Absolutely not, what gave you that idea? It’s dumb.” Wirt crammed the untoasted bagel he had in his hand into his mouth to shut himself up and tore too large of a chunk out of it and began chewing.

Amy crossed her arms and cast him a withering look. “Wirt. We’ve had this conversation.”

Wirt stayed silent and pointed at the demon in question. Greg simply continued to go about his business making his own breakfast, spreading jam on his toast that he happily shared with Ribbon and Ve as they begged. He smiled and waved when their parents looked his way. 

“Hi!”

“Hello.” Jon waved back.

Wirt took the interlude and the diverted attention to swallow. “What- what are you guys doing up so early anyway?”

“I’ve got to be at the gym. There are some trainers coming in today and I want to get a head start on warming up for the day.” Jon nodded to himself. 

“Don’t let him change the subject, Jon,” Amy sighed, looking back to Greg. “Honey, I know you want a Pokemon of your own, but you’ve got to learn patience. That’s why we gave you your egg, so you can learn to take care of it properly and bond with it even before it hatches. Don’t you want your egg to be your first Pokemon?”

“I want my egg to hatch now. It’s taking too long,” Greg pointed out. 

“Well, sometimes, good things come to those who wait,” she replied.

Greg gave that a moment’s consideration. “I’ve waited long enough.”

“Gregory, we gave you the egg yesterday.” 

“Long enough!” He turned on his heel and ran out of the kitchen, Wirt’s Pokemon following suit since he was the one with the food. 

Realizing that he would soon be under the microscope again, Wirt ducked and hurried past them both. “We’ll probably be out awhile, have a good a day, love you, bye!”

“That was a close one,” Greg commented once they were both safely outside.

“Close one? Greg, we totally got caught.” Wirt raised an eyebrow, hiking up his satchel before reaching inside to grab two Poke Balls. “Plus, they’re kinda right. You are a little young to have your own Pokemon.”

“That’s why you’re catching it for me! It’s the perfect plan, Wirt! Now let’s go!” Greg pointed ahead of them and started walking.

Wirt recalled his Vulpix and Eevee into their respective Poke Balls, leaving the Gloom out to stroll beside them and help keep an eye on his brother. “Greg, Route Twelve’s to your left.” Greg kept walking. “Your other left.”

“Oh! Right!” Greg blinked at his own response, then giggled before turning about to follow Wirt. “See, Wirt? This is why you’re the leader.”

“Good to know it’s not because I’m older or more responsible or anything. It’s just because I can tell my left from my right, huh?”

“Yep!”

They spent the better part of the morning scouring the tall grasses for wild Pokemon, but nothing they came across was to Greg’s liking. He said no to Oddish, which Wirt was a little thankful for since Oddish had been his starter and he didn’t exactly want to share. He was fine with Greg bonding with Olive, but he still liked the connection he and the naturally shy Pokemon had developed when he was nine. Lucky for him that Greg felt the same way about him having an Oddish, but he was unlucky in that nothing near them was something he wanted. Rattata were too common. Spinarak would give their mom a heart attack. Bellsprout weren’t exciting enough. Wooper was pretty close to being almost perfect, but Greg wanted to hold out for what else was out there. Trubbish nearly won him over, and if Wirt were of a different constitution, he might have gone for it, but he managed to convince Greg that it would be pointless because their mom would never let Trubbish in the house. 

It was only when the sun had passed by overhead that Wirt realized he couldn’t exactly recall where the path was. Routes Twelve and Thirteen connected in a heavily wooded area called The Unknown Forest. It was said that Unown wandered through it, causing traveler’s to lose their way, though no one had ever actually seen or captured one from this forest. Still, the name stuck, mostly because of how vast and deep it could get, trainers uncertain if they were heading in the right direction once they stepped beyond its threshold. 

Wirt had the awful feeling that that was just what he and Greg had done. 

“Um… Greg?” Wirt scanned the trees that he knew weren’t this tall and dark closer to their house. “Where- um… you didn’t happen to pay- uh- pay any attention to which… which direction we came from, did you?” 

“Nope!” Greg had taken to collecting rocks, gathering them in his pockets to throw into the tall grass to scare Pokemon into coming to say hi to them. “I’m not the leader, remember? I don’t know where anything is!”

“Right, yeah…” Not to mention Greg was six. 

“Do you know where we are?” He turned to face the older brother, tilting his head to one side as he stared at him. 

Wirt bristled. “I… I know where we are. I just- maybe… might not exactly know how to get back.” The last part was more of a nervous murmur, but he quickly shook his head. “We’ll- we’ll find our way out. Oh! I know!” 

Lighting up with what he thought was a particular clever idea on his part, Wirt called out Ve and Ribbon. The two appeared rather confused at first, not usually summoned out and about like this, but upon seeing Wirt and Greg, they accepted it pretty easily. 

“Great idea, Wirt!” Greg cheered. “Now we can all be lost together!” 

Wirt’s face fell. “No, that’s not- No, Greg. And we’re not lost. Or at least we won’t be for long.” He crouched down, scratching behind his Eevee’s ear. “Can you guys help us out a little? See if you can sniff out the way home for us.”

It took seconds for the Vulpix and Eevee to work together to point out the right direction, much to Wirt’s relief. “But we don’t want to go home yet,” Greg told him. “We still haven’t found the perfect Pokemon yet!”

“Greg, we’ve come across so many good ones already. Just pick one,” Wirt sighed, ready to call it a day. 

His younger brother rolled his eyes. “I can’t just ‘pick one.’ It’s gotta be special! We’ve gotta have a moment! You did with Olive, didn’t you?”

He had a point. Though his Oddish had been given to him as a gift for his ninth birthday, he hadn’t gone out into the forest to find her. He wouldn’t have it any other way either, he mused, glancing at his Gloom, happy to be surrounded by the tall grass off the beaten path. 

“Fine,” he muttered. “But at least give me something to go off of. _What_ kind of Pokemon do you want?”

“The best one!”

“That’s not- _ugh_.” Wirt removed his red hat and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Greg-”

“This lucky rock will show us the way!” Greg chucked the rock in his hand towards a patch of grass, only to completely miss and end up striking a tree. “Whoops.”

It vanished into the leaves, but instead of a hard, tree trunk sound, the rock made a squawk-like sound and hit something much softer than a tree trunk. Wirt hardly had time to blink before a flock of Spearow were upon them, each of them angry as if the rock hitting one of them had offended all of them. Olive hurried to his side while Ve and Ribbon took a defensive stance, fur bristled, prepared to fight-

“Run run run run!” Wirt shouted, grabbing Greg’s hand and dragging him after him as they bolted. 

“Aw beans. Lucky rock let me down.” Greg snapped as they ran. “I didn’t want a Spearow.”

“I don’t think the Spearow want you either right now, Greg!” Wirt snapped, looking over his shoulder at him, only to trip on one of his untied shoelaces - why did they always untie themselves when he really didn’t need them to? - and stumbled. 

He expected to land hard on the ground and get poked to death by sharp Spearow beaks, but instead the ground gave way beneath him, both he and Greg, and Olive, tumbling down into the dark. Then he landed hard on the ground. 

“Oof!” Wirt winced as Greg and Olive landed on top of him. “Ow…”

“Wow, Wirt! Great job finding this cave for us to hide in! Those Spearow will never find us down here!” Greg praised.

“What? Cave?” Wirt glanced around, but everything was too dark for him to properly see. “Oh boy.” He sat up, craning his neck back to find the opening that they fell through high above their heads. “Oh no.”

There was a soft trill beside him, Olive nuzzling him to make sure he was alright as his voice lilted with panic. He exhaled shakily, feeling around to rest his hand on top of one of her buds. She made a happier sound, though he could hear the underlying worry in it as well. They were both natural worriers. 

“Ve? Ribbon?” he called out, checking for his other two Pokemon. 

He heard them call back, but the sound of their cries came from over his head. The two of them hadn’t fallen in the cave, but from the sound of it, they weren’t being attacked by Spearow either. That was a relief, at least. 

“I wonder where this cave goes,” Greg hummed, completely oblivious to the perils of their predicament, until he got to his feet and realized the bag he’d been carrying had fallen with him. “Oh no!” he gasped in horror.

“What? What is it? Are you okay?” Wirt immediately grabbed for him to pat him down. 

Greg shrugged him off and wrestled his bag open, then breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Oh. Good. It’s not broken.”

“Broken?” Wirt blinked, slowly adjusting to the darkness. “If you tell me that you were that freaked out over a candy bar or something- _Greg_. Why did you bring _that_?”

“In case it hatches!” Greg pulled his Pokemon egg from the bag proudly. “Just because I don’t want to wait for it to hatch doesn’t mean I want to miss when it does. Isn’t that right, Eggbert?” He rubbed the egg fondly.

“Eggbert…? You- you do know that’s an Eevee egg, don’t you?” 

“I’m still trying to come up with a good name for him, Wirt. Don’t rush me.”

Shaking his head, trying to get back on track, Wirt let the egg thing be and reached for his own satchel. “Whatever. We’re just lucky that I happened to pack an escape rope for just these sort of situations. We’ll be out of here in no ti-”

There was an ear-splitting cry above them and something swooped down to attack. Wirt gasped, grabbing Greg and Olive to try and shield them, and felt the escape rope slip from his grasp. Well, more like was ripped from. He gaped at his now empty hand while the cry came again, this time recognizable as a Zubat. A Zubat stole his escape rope.

“Hey! Hey, give that back!” Wirt shouted, scrambling after it. 

He’d hardly gone two steps before another Zubat flew at his face and a rather unmanly yelp escaped him as he cowered. He took a few steps back to get away from it, and another one swooped down from wherever they were all hiding. Zubats were everywhere. 

“Greg, you wouldn’t happen to want a Zubat, would you?” Wirt asked his little brother, who was somehow magically unaffected by the sheer amount of Zubats. 

“Mmm… nope.” 

“Of course not.” Wirt lamented, snatching up his hand to drag him along after him. “Come on. Without an escape rope, we’re going to have to find another way out of this cave.” If there was one. Oh god, what if there wasn’t a way out? What if they were trapped here for the rest of their lives with only Zubats for company?

Well, Zubats, and the occasional Sandile apparently, as discovered when one nipped at Wirt’s heels. His Gloom made unhappy sounds as they ran, her instincts telling her to fight back and protect them, but Wirt was hesitant to stop and try to fight every single one of these cave Pokemon with only one Pokemon of his own. He wished Ve was down there with them, too. She could easily light the way with Ember, and would probably scare off many of the Zubats. 

Which were getting ridiculous. “There can’t be this many in one cave.”

“Maybe this cave is made up of lots of smaller caves,” Greg offered, unhelpfully. 

“That’s not a good thing, Greg. That will just get us even more lost-” Wirt cut himself off with a gasp as he blindly slipped - again - and fell into a small, underground pond of sorts. It was shallow, the water only coming up to his knees, but he’d still been startled by it, and wasn’t altogether looking forward to spending his last moments in this dark cave with wet pants. 

Something shot out of the water, startling him into sloshing even further into the pond. Whatever it was shot a stream of water at an encroaching Sandile, chasing it away from Greg and Olive. Wirt blinked, then narrowed his eyes to try and make out the shape of it in the dark. Who _was_ that Pokemon?

While it shot more streams of water at the Zubats to keep them at bay, and while Wirt struggled to tell what it was, Greg fished around in his bag until he pulled out a flashlight and shone it on the Pokemon. “It’s a Poliwag!” he gasped.

Wirt was too busy gaping at his brother. “You’ve had a _flashlight_ this whole time?”

“Well, yeah.” Greg placed one hand on his hip. “Always be prepared.”

“Why didn’t you take it out earlier?”

“You didn’t ask me to,” he replied simply and Wirt smacked his palm to his face as Greg’s attention went straight back to the Poliwag. “I like Poliwags.”

“That’s great, Greg. Give me that.” Wirt snatched the flashlight from him and used it to locate the nearest exit-like opening. “Aha! Civilization must be this way!”

“How can you tell?” Greg asked.

“There’s a rare candy wrapper on the ground over there.” Wirt pointed, the wrapper glinting off the flashlight’s beam. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

It was easier with the Poliwag helping them out of it’s own volition - and light to guide their way. They hurried through the tunnel, twisting and turning through it, meeting up with several forks that they trusted the Poliwag’s and Olive’s instincts on. The Gloom could sense the presence of pollen, leading them back to the foliage of the forest. 

By the time they reached the mouth of the cave though, the sun had already begun to sink and Wirt’s other two Pokemon were waiting impatiently by the entrance. He knew they were shooting him unimpressed looks, and his cheeks grew warm at feeling reprimanded by his Pokemon of all things. “Shh,” he hushed them, even though they said nothing.

“You shh!”

“I wasn’t shushing you, Greg. You don’t have to shush me back.”

“Oh.” Greg accepted that easily. “Well, that was fun! Now what?”

“Now we go home. Oh my gosh, we’re totally going to miss dinner. Mom and Jonathan are going to freak out.” Wirt pursed his lips as he judged the shadows steadily taking over the Unknown Forest. “It’s going to get dark soon. Oh boy… um… it’s okay. Don’t panic, Wirt. At least we’ve got this handy flashlight.” The bulb instantly burnt out with only one flicker as warning. “We did have this… this handy flashlight…” His heart clenched as he fruitlessly attempted to get the light to come back by flicking the switch over and over. 

“We can worry about getting home after we catch my Pokemon,” Greg told him, coming up beside him to tug on Wirt’s sleeve.

He heaved out a heavy sigh, still trying not to panic. “We’re not getting you a Pokemon today, Greg. Okay? We’re giving up. We’ve got to head home. Who knows what kind of Pokemon come out in these woods at night?”

“Scary ones!” Greg chirped excitedly. “Ghosts! Ghost type ones! Oh boy, do you think we’ll get to catch a ghost type Pokemon?”

“No, Greg. No we’re not going to catch a ghost type, we’re going to go home and sleep for a week.” Wirt turned to address his Vulpix and Eevee. “Ve, Ribbon, would you two mind- Ribbon?” 

His Eevee’s ears were perked, little nose twitching as her body tensed. Wirt’s tensed right alongside hers, though Vulpix and Gloom remained unaffected for the most part. Before he could question his Pokemon again, she darted off into the woods and Wirt squeaked out a nervous call for her to come back, scooping up Ve as he gave chase. Greg followed suit by putting his egg back in his bag and scooping up the Poliwag that was still beside him, carrying him much like Wirt was carrying Vulpix. He figured the Poliwag had done so much for them already, he should get to see this through. 

“I wonder what adventure Ribbon’s taking us on now!” he mused aloud, while his brother frantically shouted for the Eevee.

“Ribbon! Ribbon, come back!” Holding onto the Vulpix with one arm, Wirt reached into his satchel for one of their favorite treats he’d packed and brought along for them. “I’ve got- I’ve got one of your- oh- oh no, _ugh_.”

Since he hadn’t actually tied his shoe after tripping over it the first time, he inevitably tripped over it again and dropped the box of Poke Puffs so they scattered over the ground. Ve wriggled unhappily in his grasp watching all her favorite treats roll around in the grass, but at least it caught Ribbon’s attention as well, the Eevee doubling back to check on them while Olive tried to pick them up to help out.

The attention of a second Eevee had also been caught. A far cry from the ghost type Greg had expected in The Unknown Forest, she sprang out of the bushes. With the other four Pokemon out and about, she didn’t bounce right up to the treats as had been the plan. Instead, she shook to puff out her fur and sat in wait.

She was nearly run over, the beam of a flashlight only just illuminating her. “Ty! Oh my _god_! You crazy little-” Dipper bit back the rest, the beam of light shining ahead. Immediately, his cheeks colored. Of course. Of course it would be Poke Puffs. She was a sucker for them and always had been. “Hi. Sorry, hi. Come on, Ty.”

Her ears flopped, her trill pitiful.

“No. No, I’m not falling for that. You literally just had one back at the-” Dipper looked behind him, blinking twice as he realized he could no longer see the light of the campfire and, wow, these trees looked a lot alike. Great.

“Oh my gosh, you have a flashlight,” Wirt blurted out, hugging Ve tighter to keep her close, wary of the strange Eevee at first until her trainer had appeared. Her trainer with a flashlight. “Did you change the batteries recently?”

“That’s a funny way to say ‘hello’ to someone, isn’t it?” Greg hummed, looking down at the Poliwag for his opinion.

“Uh. Actually, I have no idea, but I have batteries in my bag?” Dipper bit his lip, stooping down to pluck up his Eevee. She wriggled until he shushed her, displeased at not being able to get one of the treats she’d run all this way for. “Do you, uh- Are you okay?”

“Oh, I- um… Yes? Yeah, I’m- _we’re_ fine. All of us. I think,” Wirt babbled, completely flustered by the appearance of an actual person and not just more wild Pokemon in the middle of the forest. “We’re just lost. And I keep tripping. But you- you didn’t really need to know that last part did you? Shut up, Wirt.” 

He crouched down, setting Ve down finally so he could properly tie his shoe and prevent any more mishaps from happening that involved his already clumsy nature. “Sorry. I don’t mean to sound like a crazy person. And uh- your Eevee is welcome to some Poke Puffs. My guys eat too much of them anyway.” Ve made sure to swat his face with her fluffy tail. “Well, it’s true,” he huffed. “Be nice and share.” And maybe this stranger would let them follow him and his flashlight out of these woods.

“No, she eats too many of them too. Like, more than my sister’s Tepig.” Ty’s noise was nothing short of offended, Dipper rolling his eyes. But when she wriggled some more, he set her down. “You can have _one_. I mean it, just one. Then we have to go try and find the campsite again.”

“Oh, you’re… you’re camping out here?” As quickly as Wirt’s hope had been rekindled, it died to a dim, smoldering ember. “So that means you- you probably don’t know which way town is…”

“Neither do we!” Greg chimed in. “Hi! My brother sometimes forgets important things like saying ‘hi’ and learning names so people stop being strangers. I’m Greg! That’s Wirt, the brother I was telling you about. This is him.”

“I’m… I’m pretty sure he gets that, Greg.” Wirt was only thankful for the cover of darkness in that moment because it hid the way the color in his cheeks deepened. 

“Well, yeah, I know the way out. I’ve got my DexNav - like a Pokemon tracker and a map? - so it’s kind of impossible to get lost. We’re camping here on purpose.” Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. “Um. I’m Dipper, by the way. I guess names are- Ty, I said one.” Tyrone glanced back, but nabbed a puff with green frosting anyway. “Oh my god, you don’t listen.”

“They never do,” Wirt agreed, shoulders sagging with relief, gaze darting from the Pokemon at their feet back to Dipper. “Sorry, I- this might be asking a lot, but we’ve been out here since this morning and Greg’s right, we have no idea which way to go. I thought we did, but then we fell in this cave and there were Zubats and- yeah, just- if you could help us out, we would be super grateful. I’d find some way to repay you.“

“Oh, no, yeah. That’s- Dude, you’re basically the first trainers I’ve come across that didn’t immediately want to battle. I don’t mind helping you guys get home.” Dipper snapped his fingers and Tyrone, half the treat still clamped in her teeth, trotted over to get picked up again. “We just need to detour to grab my sister and put out the fire, but that should be quick if you don’t mind using your Poliwag to help.”

“No, yeah, sure!” Wirt lit up, hastily agreeing to whatever this light-wielding, mystery trainer asked of them, only pausing once Dipper’s words actually caught up with him. “Wait. Our Poliwag?”

Blinking, Wirt turned to look at Greg and the Pokemon still in his arms. The six-year-old also looked down as if surprised by the Poliwag’s presence. “Woah! He’s our Poliwag now? We didn’t even have to use a Poke Ball to catch him! You’re better at this than you say, Wirt! You’ve been holding out on me.”

“I- but-” Wirt shook his head. “No, Greg, he’s not- or she’s not, I mean, it could be a she Poliwag- anyway. It’s not our Poliwag yet. I haven’t caught it. Why did you bring it with us?”

“Why wouldn’t I bring him? He’s a friendly guy.” Greg gave him a pat on the head and he squeaked happily. “I’ve decided. I want this one. Can this be my first Pokemon, Wirt? Please?”

“I… well, yeah, but… let’s worry about that later, Greg. Let’s just focus on getting back first. And, um…” Wirt glanced nervously at Dipper. “I’ll uh… see what I can do about having… our Poliwag help out. With the fire. And putting it out, not like helping _with_ the fire, since it’s, you know, water and not… not fire. Wow. I’m- I’m usually more eloquent than this, I’m sorry. It’s been a long day.”

“He’s lying. He’s always like this,” Greg amended with a smile.

Dipper couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out, hiding as much of it in Ty’s fur as he could. “That’s okay. Not like I mind. Come on. Ty can sniff them out and...” He shifted the Pokemon to the crook of his arm and passed the flashlight to Wirt before digging through his bag. “Let me just program my DexNav to search for Tepigs and we’ll find her in no time.”

Wirt took the flashlight obediently, too busy gaping in awe at the tech this mysterious trainer was using. “You can actually program it to look for specific Pokemon?”

“Yeah. Usually I’ll plug in my Pokedex and sync it to stop sounding off when we’re around Pokemon I’ve already logged, but it works in reverse too.” Dipper shrugged, the soft ping distant but usable. “Oh, good, we’re not that far.”

“Thank goodness,” Wirt exhaled, placing his free hand over his heart as he offered Dipper a grateful smile. “And thank you. You’re seriously a lifesaver.” 

He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve having a capable, tech-savvy trainer who wasn’t raring to challenge him to a fight cross his path, who was also nice and had an appreciation for Eevees from the looks of it, but Wirt was going to take it. He fished out two Poke Balls, one at a time, and returned Ve and Ribbon to their respective ones as they finished up their Poke Puffs. It would make travelling a lot easier if he just had to focus on Olive and Greg. And the Poliwag. And this… Dipper. He had to make sure he didn’t lose track of Dipper seeing as he was their link to safety. 

“Come on, Greg. Olive. Stay close to me, okay?” Wirt took his Gloom’s outstretched arm, happy to hold onto it while Greg skipped on ahead.

“Which way, admiral?” he asked their guide.

Dipper looked up from the tracker to blink at the boy, then glanced back at Wirt before accepting the title with a shrug. “So far, you’re going the right way. I’ll let you know when you need to turn.” Tyrone climbed up to his shoulder, blinking wide eyes hopefully at the other teen in the hopes that maybe he had another treat just waiting to be shared.

Well-versed in the begging tactics of an Eevee, Wirt’s lips quirked up in a resigned sort of smile, unable to help himself really. He reached into his bag and took out another box of Poke Puffs, this time managing not to spill them all over the forest floor. Letting go of Olive’s hand for a moment and handing her the flashlight, he took one out and held it out to the Eevee after pressing his finger to his lips and flicking his gaze at her trainer. 

“So- um. You said you’re camping here on purpose? What- what is that purpose? If you don’t mind me asking.” Wirt started into conversation as they walked, getting out another Poke Puff for his Gloom, knowing that she hadn’t actually taken any of the ones that had fallen out.

Dipper laughed. “Sure. It's not some big secret, and you might be able to help some if you let me scan your Gloom. We haven’t run across those yet. Basically, Mabel and I are collecting Pokemon and data for our Grunkle Ford. We usually stay with them over the summer, but…” He shrugged, lifting a hand to keep Tyrone balanced on his shoulder. Her trill was a little muffled, so he shifted her - and her treat - in his grasp. “Where-?” He stared at the pink-frosted Puff as it vanished in a few quick bites. With another laugh, he looked back at Wirt. “You gave her _another_ one?”

“What? Who? Me? Nah, must’ve been someone else who is very unfortunately not immune to the big eyes of an Eevee and has excess Poke Puffs on hand.” Wirt hid his box behind his back, smiling sheepishly at being caught, though it really was unavoidable. “Sorry, she’s just- really cute. I hope you don’t mind.” 

“Not really. She's just spoiled enough already.” Dipper grinned, glancing at his tracker. “Greg, make a right he- the other way. Thanks. So what are you guys doing out here? Besides, you know, dealing with Zubats?”

“Well, uh… I didn’t mean for us to get quite so far out here. I was trying to catch a Pokemon for Greg. He’s been bugging our parents for months about it. We thought he’d eventually move on to something else, but that hasn’t been the case. So, you know, I thought I’d help him out and catch a Pokemon for him that he could take care of with supervision. Only problem is that he didn’t want any of the Pokemon we came across. Well, except that one apparently. The Poliwag. But finding him was an accident. With the falling into a cave and the… and the Zubats.” Wirt felt his cheeks start to burn again as he tucked the Poke Puffs away and latched onto Olive’s hand, despite there being no real risk of her wandering off. 

“Hey, there are way worse ways to get your first Pokemon.” Dipper shifted Tyrone back to his shoulder. “How'd you get yours?”

“Oh, um… Olive was kind of a… present for my ninth birthday.” And to help him deal with a relatively new half-brother in his life. Wirt rubbed the back of his neck. “What about you?”

“I got Tyrone here from my Grunkle Ford. Her old trainer brought her into the lab one day complaining that she wouldn't stay in her Poke Ball, and when she didn't get ‘fixed,’ he left her behind.” Dipper stroked her back, the Pokemon happily rubbing the top of her head against his neck. “I like to think she's better off.”

Wirt’s smile softened as he watched them. “Yeah, I think she is.”

“I got Mr. Swirly here just now!” Greg piped up, appearing right at Dipper’s other side. “Wirt tripped and fell on his face on the ground that became a cave and we fell and had to fight off a bunch of Zubats and Mr. Swirly saved the day! So now he’s my new best friend.”

Dipper grinned, dropping a hand to the kid’s shoulder and squeezing. “A best friend is the best kind of Pokemon to have, Greg. Trust me.”

Greg beamed at him, completely won over by his words, especially since it seemed his brother liked the trainer, too. His nerves were starting to fade, at any rate, so that had to be a good sign. “Are you and Tyrone best friends?” he asked. “Wirt and Olive are! And Velvet and Ribbon. That’s his Vulpix and Eevee. He raised them both from eggs. I have an egg, too, but I wanted to catch my first Pokemon instead of waiting for the egg to hatch. But I love the egg, too. Her name’s Aleggsandra.”

“I thought it was Eggbert?” Wirt raised an eyebrow as he stared at his brother. 

“That was earlier. Now my egg’s named Aleggsandra.”

Dipper only just bit back an unimpressed groan. “Oh my god, Mabel’ll love that.” And, thankfully, the campfire was within sight, so he switched his DexNav off and tucked it in his satchel. “What kind of egg is it?”

“A mystery egg!” Greg chirped, setting his Poliwag on his head so he could take the egg out of his knapsack and show Dipper. 

“It’s an Eevee egg,” Wirt told him.

“A mystery Eevee egg!”

Dipper chuckled, setting Tyrone down so she could spring back through the bushes. “There you are!” he heard his sister cheer.

“The only mystery there is boy or girl. I was never good at figuring that out when I was younger.” He held out his hand to take the flashlight back from Wirt, smiling at him. “Really cool that you both have Eevees though, even if one’s just on the way.”

Wirt blinked at him, uncertain just why the casual compliment from this mystery trainer - a stranger, by all accounts really - made his heart feel light and warm in his chest. It wasn’t even that big of a compliment. It was more of a comment than anything. But that fact that “cool” had been ascribed to something about him and wasn’t by his brother was an unfamiliar experience to be faced with. 

“O-oh. Um. Yeah.” He shuffled his feet, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the dirt, only just noticing when the light passed over them that he had two different pairs of shoes on. He cleared his throat quickly, and looked up from them to find Dipper’s face. “Well, I’ve always liked Eevees and our mom has one that’s now a Flareon and then Greg’s dad has a Vaporeon, so… getting new Eevees isn’t- isn’t that uncommon of a thing in… in our house. They’re kinda… a thing. The Flareon and Vaporeon. Well, and our mom and his dad, too, of course, right. I’ll just stop talking now. Sorry for just… bombarding you with information that you absolutely didn’t ask for.”

“Hi! I’m Greg, what’s your name?” Greg ran over to the campfire after Tyrone, Mr. Swirly the Poliwag and Aleggsandra in tow, eager to meet another new trainer.

Mabel gasped, sitting up straighter as the boy rushed over. Her Tepig grunted at being disturbed, so she gave him a pat. “Hi! I’m Mabel! Dipper! You actually talked to people?!” She giggled. “And I thought you only talked to computers and Ty.”

“Haha. Ty ran off because she smelled food, and it’s kind of impossible not to talk to someone who feeds her. This is Greg’s brother, Wirt.” He casually bumped their shoulders together. “And I don’t mind getting bombarded with information.”

Wirt started at the unexpected contact, shoulders tensing a moment before he relaxed. “Oh. Oh, okay. Good to know.” He offered him a smile that slowly turned more playful. “And I guess I should be honored since I’m not Tyrone or a computer.”

“Neither am I!” Greg put his egg away so he could place his hands on his hips, proceeding to fill Mabel in on their adventure thus far. “We’re just lost and Dipper said he’d show us the way!”

“So much for staying in the woods for a couple days, huh?” Mabel hopped up, cradling her  Tepig. “Oh, your Poliwag’s so cute! Does he have a name? This little guy is Waddles.” Fondly, she rubbed her cheek against that of her Pokemon.

Greg’s eyes went wide as he gaped at the Pokemon in awe. “Oh, wow! I’ve never seen a Tepig in real life before! Trainers never use Tepigs against Mom or Dad.” He turned his brilliant smile onto Mabel. “And Waddles is a great name! My Poliwag’s got a great name, too. It’s Skitty!” 

“I thought it was Mr. Swirly?” Dipper tucked his hands in his pockets, amused.

“It's Skitty now,” Greg informed him at the same time Wirt sighed the exact same sentence, though the older brother's lips quirked up.

“It's bound to change at least three more times within the hour,” he told Dipper.

He bit his lip, but shrugged in acceptance. “Okay, sure.”

“You don’t have to pick a name right away,” Mabel assured the boy. “Waddles, do you want to walk or get all comfy in your Poke Ball?”

He looked down at the ground, then back at her, and grunted twice. With a giggle, Mabel returned him to his Poke Ball before setting it back in her bag. “Let’s put this fire out, and get you guys home!”

“Thank you so much. We're sorry to cause you guys any inconvenience. I mean, you're camping out here for a reason, and we just- yeah. Just thank you. We can give you guys a nice meal and a place to stay since it's kinda late to have to set up camp again. If you want. We've had trainers who pass through do it before. Since we're between towns. I'm not trying to be creepy or anything. Just grateful.” Wirt felt like smacking himself in the face, his Gloom nuzzling his leg to provide some comfort as he fumbled all over himself.

“Yeah! And you can tell us all about your Pokemon adventures!” Greg chimed in, taking Skitty the Poliwag to the campfire. “Do your worst, Skitty! Hydro pump!”

The Poliwag sent out a small stream of water more befitting of water gun than hydro pump, but Greg was pleased nonetheless. “Yeah!”

“Don't think your Poliwag's at a high enough level to know hydro pump,” Dipper mused.

“He tried, and that's what matters.” Mabel nodded, gathering her things. Her purse was swung over her shoulder, smile going to Wirt. “And we'd really appreciate a place to stay! Right, Dipper?”

“Yeah. Thanks, man. If it's cool with your parents, I mean.”

“I'm sure it will be. They're probably wondering where the heck we are since we've been gone all day.” Wirt glanced between the two of them, their friendly demeanor difficult to feel uneasy around. “They'll be really thankful that you took the time to help us out. They'd be more than happy to help you out in return. So, um, if you know which way either of the towns are, I can show you the way to our house from there.”

“No problem.” Dipper dug out his DexNav once again, changing the settings to expand the map. “We were in town earlier this morning, so I've got it plugged into this.”

“We fought the gym leader!” Mabel grinned, hips switching side to side. “I was pretty great.”

“Pfft.”

Wirt blinked. “Oh? Which gym leader?”

“Did you win on the first try?” Greg bounced on the balls of his feet, taking Mabel's hand in his like it was natural. 

Taking it in stride, Mabel gave the smaller hand a squeeze. “Absolutely!” 

“Barely. I told you not to use Waddles at a _water type_ gym. You have a Petilil, for crying out loud, and swapping Pokemon in the midst of a battle takes ages, and-”

“I got my Raincloud Badge. That’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, but I got mine without either of my Pokemon fainting.”

“Oh boy! Did Dad use Vaporeon and Totodile? Or did he go with Golduck and Marill?” Greg asked. “Or are you even stronger than that? If you’re stronger, then he might’ve even used Blastoise!”

Olive trilled quietly at Wirt’s side and he huffed out a laugh as he stroked one of her buds. “Yeah, and I hope you both have a water type when you head over to the next gym.”

“Oh yeah. Mom’s got all fire types and they’re all super strong! Dad’s tactic is defense, but hers is all about offense.” 

The twins exchanged glances, Mabel’s grin growing while Dipper's eyes widened. “So your parents...” Dipper realized.

Mabel had more important things to worry about, rounding on them. “Is it true that if you get both badges, you can put them together and create a rainbow?”

When Wirt laughed this time it was fuller, his smile stretched across his cheeks while Greg gave a happy little skip, reaching up to make sure his Poliwag stayed in place. “Yeah! Me and Wirt and Olive hung a bunch in the window once and made a whole room of rainbows!”

“Oh my god,” Dipper breathed, partly in awe of their parents being gym leaders and partly in awe of Wirt himself. Thus far, he'd been a little awkward and a lot harmless. Just a nice guy, but that laugh threw him for a loop. It was a little breathless, but his nose scrunched. It was the dumbest, smallest thing in the world, but Dipper couldn’t keep his eyes off of it - off of him. The awkward, harmless guy was cute. Oh, no.

Thankfully, Mabel’s squeal of excitement drowned out his mental crisis. “That’s so great! I was hoping that was true! It's so cute, oh my gosh!”

“Yeah, they thought so, too. Jonathan’s always saying how it was a sign that they were meant to be,” Wirt added on a chuckle, casting a glance Dipper’s way at his silence and shooting him a shy smile. “Sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when the best opener is for ‘by the way, our parents are gym leaders.’”

“You don’t need an opener. Just say that.” Greg shrugged. “That’s what I do.”

Oh, no, he wasn’t supposed to be cute. They were just taking them home. That was all. Dipper managed a small smile in return while his mind searched for a way out. “Well, y’know, no hard feelings that I beat your dad's Blastoise with Ty?”

Wirt’s smile shifted rapidly into stunned awe, Olive cooing in disbelief as well, but Greg looked absolutely delighted. “Woah! No one ever beats Blastoise on the first try! You must have a ton of badges and be super strong! And you didn’t even use an electric Pokemon!”

“Well, I mean, I don't actually _have_ an electric type, so...” Dipper shrugged. “It was a little difficult at first, but he does mostly defense, yeah, and that's fairly simple to counterbalance when you know the typical weaknesses of a Blastoise and-”

“And your Eevee is a stupid high level,” Mabel interrupted, jabbing an elbow into her twin's side. “Dork.”

Dipper’s glare was more of a pout, and he quickly crouched to sweep Tyrone up. “Yeah, that helps, but still. Ty's just a good girl.” She trilled proudly, rubbing her head against his palm.

“And it always helps to have a strong bond between Pokemon and trainer,” Wirt added, clearing his throat some. “But still, that’s- that’s really impressive that you took down Jonathan’s Blastoise with your Eevee.”

“How many badges _do_ you have?” Greg pestered, trying to glimpse the ones on Mabel’s bag. “Six? Seven? Is Mom going to be eight? Dad usually brings out Blastoise if you’ve got six badges, but sometimes if someone’s good enough, he brings him out at four or five.”

The barrage of questions continued up until they reached the outskirts of Roulade Town, the route to Focoso Town easy enough to find, then both Wirt and Greg were confident enough - even in the dark - to find their way home. Of course, to make good on their word in getting the twins food and a place to stay, they led the way to their house, smack dab in the middle between the two towns to make it fair for the two gym leaders in their respective commutes. 

“We only have two,” Mabel revealed. It was quickly obvious that she was just as eager to talk as Greg. “I went first, and your dad used two Pokemon for me, and then it was Dipper’s turn and Golduck and Marill went out without a fight!”

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. “That's not completely-”

“Without a fight!” she insisted. “So I think he sent Blastoise out mostly because he was surprised.”

“Wow! Ty must be a super Eevee!” Greg praised, beaming at the bundle of fluff. “Are you gonna go battle Mom’s gym soon? Can me and Wirt come watch when you do? I want to see you guys in action!”

“Easy, Greg. They just finished with your dad, they’re going to need some time to relax and, you know, look for and research the Pokemon that are around here. There are more things in life than just gym battles, you know,” Wirt reminded his little brother as their house came into view. 

“You’re right, Wirt. There’s also food! I’m hungry!” Greg laughed, running on ahead with his Poliwag to fling open the front door and dart inside, his voice fading as he disappeared from their sight. “Mom! Dad! We’re home! Look what me and Wirt found!”

Dipper stroked his Eevee's back, cheeks burning in embarrassment. “Ty, are you a super Eevee?” She managed to wriggle onto her back, still held in his arms, and presented her belly for scratching. Dipper complied with a small laugh. “I thought so.”

Mabel giggled. “I think your mom's gym is gonna be fun! She won't be able to underestimate us like your dad if we're meeting her, huh?”

“All the more reason to keep training while we're here. We should seriously get our hands on a fishing rod to catch at least one water type.”

“Oh, yeah. I would not recommend facing her without at least one water type on your team. Probably safer to go with two. Not that- not that you don’t already know that, I’m sure you do. You no doubt know way more about this stuff than I do, or ever will, probably.” Wirt shook his head, letting his Gloom trot inside first, then stepped aside to let Dipper and Mabel through, the sound of his parents questioning Greg in the kitchen floating out to reach them in the foyer. 

His Gloom must have been spotted, because his mother’s voice rose suddenly. “Wirt, come here! You’ve got some serious explaining to do, mister!”

“Sure thing!” he called back, then huffed out a laugh and smiled at Dipper and Mabel. “Don’t worry, she won’t be mad at Greg and I for long. Especially once she meets the two of you, our rescuers. Come on in. Make yourselves at home.”

The twins exchanged glances and Mabel shrugged. “We're not really rescuers,” Dipper protested.

“We're heroes,” Mabel decided, giggling.

“Oh my god. Ty, seriously, just one tackle.” She wagged her tail. “You’re no help.”

“You kinda are though,” Wirt told him, cheeks pinkening some as he reached for his Poke Balls, letting out Ve and Ribbon as he shut the door behind them. “I mean, I don’t think we’d have made it back to civilization until morning without your help.”

“The help of Admiral Dipper, General Mabel, and Ty the Super Eevee!” Greg cheered as he ran into the room, his parents entering right behind him. “They got us home!”

Jonathan’s face immediately lit up with recognition. “Oh, wow! So you’re the two mystery heroes that saved the day? Small world! Though I suppose I should’ve guessed when Greg here mentioned a super Eevee,” he chuckled, ruffling his son’s hair. 

“Thank you so much for helping them get home.” Amy stepped in. “I was just about ready to call the authorities, I didn’t know what could’ve happened to them.”

“We got chased by Spearow and fell in a cave and got lost!” Greg chirped.

Wirt bristled when Jon and Amy looked his way. “Only because Greg threw a rock at the Spearow.”

“I didn’t know the Spearow was there,” he added.

“And then the flashlight Greg packed ran out of batteries, so… yeah.” Wirt pursed his lips. “We’re sorry. At least we’re home now? In one piece? Thanks to Dipper and… and Mabel, here, yeah?”

“And the super Eevee.” Jon winked at them.

Tyrone straightened in Dipper’s hold, absolutely preening at the attention. Dipper sighed, lips curving even as color seeped into his cheeks. “We only ran across them because Ty smelled food Wirt was carrying and thinks she deserves every treat she comes across. And it wasn’t like we were just going to leave them alone in the woods.”

“Yes, well, there are people out there who would,” Amy mused, stooping down to scoop Greg up into her arms. “Or worse. So thank you. And if Wirt hasn’t invited you already, then allow me to extend the offer that you and your Pokemon stay for dinner and rest for the night. It’s late and we have guest quarters that are always open to trainers passing through.”

“Respectable trainers,” Jon chimed in. “And after having faced the two of you today, well, I can definitely vouch for your character. I’ve never seen anything like the skill and bonds you both have with only one other badge under your belt.”

“Really?” Amy’s lips quirked up. “I’m looking forward to having you in my gym, then.”

“Woo! We haven’t slept in a for real house in a month!”

Dipper sighed. “We stayed at a hotel, like, two weeks ago.”

“Still not a house, bro-bro. Still not a house.”

“Whatever.” He shook his head, scratching Tyrone behind the ear while she trilled happily at the thought of having a bed to sleep in. “Thanks. We’d appreciate it.”

Amy’s smile grew. “You’re very welcome. There’s a shower and bath next to the room you can use. I’ll let Wirt show you where everything is while I put together something for us to eat.”

“I want to help show them where everything is!” Greg wriggled out of her grasp with his Poliwag, darting over to grab Mabel’s hand and started tugging her towards the hall. “It’s this way! Wirt’s room is also this way, just in case you were wondering.”

“I’m sure they weren’t, Greg.” Wirt rolled his eyes with a little huff, then met Dipper’s gaze and offered a smile and shrug, gesturing towards the hall. “Since Greg’s taken the lead on this, after you.”

“Sure.” He situated his bag so Tyrone could perch on it, freeing his hands to slip into his pockets as he followed his laughing twin down the hall. “Thanks for this, seriously. A place to stay the night seems like a big favor when all we did was basically walk you home.”

“Considering all that happened to us when we were just out to catch a Pokemon in the grass on Route Twelve, I don’t even want to think about what would’ve gone wrong in trying to walk home by ourselves.” Wirt shook his head. “So, seriously, thank you back. And after hearing that you haven’t slept in a bed in two weeks? You’re definitely staying now. Your back will thank you, too.”

He laughed. “Ty’ll thank me before my back does. The only reason she’s not running off to explore now is she wants to get a look at the bed.”

“Well, she definitely deserves it.” Wirt smiled at the Eevee, his own and his Vulpix following at their heels curiously. 

“Here it is! Do you guys want to share this room or do you want your own rooms?” Greg asked, showing off the main guest room, housing two twin beds and a small couch along with a dresser and nightstand. “We have another room with a couch that turns into a bed. It’s usually for the Pokemon to play in, but we use it when we have a lot of people stay with us.”

“We can share,” was said in unison, the twins glancing at one another with matching grins.

“Are Pokemon just allowed out of their Poke Balls here?” Mabel wondered, wide eyes catching sight of Wirt’s.

Ve and Ribbon looked up at her, the Eevee’s tail swishing as her ears twitched while the Vulpix pressed up against Wirt’s leg and he smiled down at them both. “Well, they live here, so yeah, but I hardly ever keep mine in their Poke Balls unless I’m taking them somewhere. I mean, you’re welcome to let yours out to stretch if you want, too, though. Mom and Jonathan let theirs out from time to time as well, so… it’s up to you, basically.”

“Olive has her own bed, and Velvet and Ribbon sleep on Wirt’s with him,” Greg told them excitedly, then held out the Poliwag. “I’m going to find a special place for Skitty to sleep, too! And Sir Eggsalot!”

Mabel squealed, upturning her bag onto the first bed in the room. Six Poke Balls were among the clutter and she immediately grabbed five of them, throwing them skyward. Her Pokemon popped out, all five landing on the bed or the floor. Glaceon landed in a defensive stance, took a quick look around and then stretched out, flopping lazily. Waddles dropped onto the pillow and curled up, falling asleep immediately. Smeargle latched onto Mabel’s sweater, his paintbrush like tail smacking the little Espurr in the face and the Petilil leapt out of the way of it.

Dipper smacked himself in the face. “Mabel, oh my god.”

“Dad never lets me have my Pokemon out, Dipper! This is important! Oh!” She gasped, grabbing the sixth ball to let out the little blue Nidoran. “They're all so cute!”

“Wow!” Greg laughed and ran into the room to inspect all the Pokemon, leaving Wirt at Dipper’s side and more or less shocked by the sudden appearance of six Pokemon. “You have so many good ones!”

“Thank you! I got Waddles from Grunkle Ford, I caught Smeargle and Ran by our house, and the other three I've found over the past month. I love all of them.”

“I'm sorry,” Dipper huffed. “I should've warned you that my sister’s crazy.”

While Greg went to greet every single one of them, badgering Mabel for their backstories, Wirt shook his head and shrugged. “You know, it could be worse. She could have six of the same Pokemon,” he chuckled, then nodded at him. “You can let yours out, too. I mean, aside from Ty.”

He was almost too embarrassed to take Wirt up on the offer, but sighed. It had been a while since his Nidoran had been able to stretch his legs. So he went to the second bed and let Ty explore the space before she stretched out on the pillow, and his one and only Pokemon besides the Eevee popped out of his ball. He bellowed, expecting a fight, but very quickly realized there wasn’t one. He snuggled in Dipper’s lap with the same eagerness as Ty, making him laugh. “Nido, I'll get you a treat later, I promise.”

“Aw, you guys both have Nidorans? That’s- that’s kind of adorable.” Wirt couldn’t help grinning, thinking nothing of the fact that Dipper only had one other Pokemon.

“Yeah, well, they were playing together when we found them, and Grunkle Ford figured out that they were siblings after Mabel caught them.” Dipper looked up, grinning as he rubbed the Pokemon's back. “It was kind of perfect, and I mean... I don't know. I like the connection, I guess. Matching Pokemon with someone you care about.”

Wirt’s smile softened. “Yeah. I think- I think I know what you mean,” he murmured, glancing down at his Eevee while she and Ve cautiously greeted their visitors, getting to know Mabel’s Pokemon while sticking close to Greg. “Must be nice. Especially since you must’ve done it twice. I mean, Glaceon must’ve been an Eevee at some point, so you both had Eevees at the same time, too.”

Dipper laughed, setting the Nidoran down so he could explore with the others. Tyrone began to inch closer to her trainer's satchel. “Yeah, for about two weeks. And then we were in a cave system, and she leveled up after we nabbed a Cubchoo. Hello, Glaceon. We didn’t even know an ice rock was nearby.”

“Guess that's one way to decide on an Eevee evolution. Accident.” Wirt noted the way Tyrone was nosing her way into Dipper's bag and grinned. “Well, um... I'll just leave you guys to settle in and see if my mom needs help with food. Greg'll help you if you need anything, and if he can't, well, he knows how to holler for me, so... yeah.” He scuffed his shoes against the floor, glancing down when Ribbon rubbed against his leg to scoop her up. “Alright, Ribbon. You can help me pick out some snacks for everyone. You too, Ve. Come on.”

The Vulpix perked up and trotted after him, glancing back at Greg once before nodding and continuing out into the hallway.

Dipper’s gaze lingered even after he'd left, a fact not missed at all by his matchmaking twin. “Ooh! Someone's got a cruuuush!” 

His face reddened immediately, and he reached for his bag to find something to throw at her, but Tyrone had found her prize and had perched on the satchel to ensure Dipper’s attention. A brush handle was clamped between her teeth, tail wagging earnestly. As embarrassed as he was, Dipper could only sigh. “Alright, Your Highness, come on. I guess you earned it today.”

Mabel giggled, giving Greg a wink before hunkering down to sit on the floor with most of her Pokemon. “I think I'm all settled in. Do you want help creating the best habitat for your Poliwag ever?”

“Oh boy! Do I!” Greg beamed at her as he sat down beside her, hugging his newfound Pokemon, the Poliwag making a happy little squeak. “Thanks, Mabel!”

“Anytime, sweetie! A happy Pokemon is the best Pokemon!” She reached out, ruffling his hair before hopping up. She swept both Greg and the Poliwag into her arms, giving both a twirl. “Dipper, we're going to go be amazing! See you later!”

He glanced up, pausing his brushing only briefly since Tyrone chirped for attention. “I'll, uh, be here, I guess. Try not to break anything and get us kicked out.”

“I make no promises! Let's go, Greg!”

“Yes sir, General Mabel!” Greg chirped, wrapping his arms around Mabel for a hug. He looked over her shoulder at Dipper and waved. “Bye, Admiral Dipper! See you on the front lines in oh-eight hundred hours for dinner time!”

Matching grins flashed, the twins accepting the titles with ease - and neither commenting on the fact that oh-eight hundred was eight in the morning. When they bounced out of the room, taking half of Mabel’s curious Pokemon with them, Dipper looked down at Tyrone with a small laugh. It was her fault they were even there to begin with. “Thanks, Ty. You've definitely earned a couple extra treats tonight.”

She trilled happily, wiggling in his lap, and butted his hand so the brushing could continue. As far as she was concerned, she deserved quite a bit. Namely treats, a bed, and attention. Thankfully, she had a trainer who was more than willing to provide.


	2. The Basics

The twins and their Pokemon spent a very comfortable night in the Palmer-Whelan home. Mabel was all too happy to leave hers out and about, the six of them sprawled in bed with her. Eventually, her little Espurr toddled over to Dipper’s bed to avoid the constant thwapping of Smeargle’s tail. He picked her up without complaint, and she fell asleep snuggled against the small of his back, purring. Nido lay at the foot of his bed, only his horn poking out from beneath the blankets, and Tyrone was more than happy to hug his head and take up as much of the pillow as she could.

Dipper ended up awakening with a mouthful of fur as a result. But he only pushed her out of the way with a laugh, sitting up to stretch and rub the sleep from his eyes. Espurr's floppy ears twitched, big eyes as offended as Tyrone's by the movement. Nido snorted, still blissfully unaware that the day was beginning.

Dipper grinned, quietly wishing it was safe to keep them all out all the time. But at least he always had Tyrone. He glanced towards the bed his sister had taken up through the night, unsurprised to find it empty. She always woke up early. Sighing, he tossed the blankets off of himself, chuckling when Nido grunted and wiggled his short legs. "Come on, guys. Let's go track down Mabel and see if we can't get some breakfast before we head out."

He wasn’t entirely certain just how long they could stay before it was too long, not wanting to be rude by any stretch. Dinner the night before had been fun. Mabel’s chatter was all high energy, her adoration for Greg obvious and immediate. The feeling was clearly mutual, and now the as-yet-unnamed Poliwag had very impressive living quarters in the corner of Greg’s bedroom.

Dipper’s appreciation for Wirt was, he hoped, a little less clear. He wanted to be friendly, sure, but he really didn’t want to make it obvious that he thought the guy was cute. Anyone who would sneak Pokemon food under the table was a good guy in Dipper’s book, and the way he blushed when caught just sealed it. Wirt was just really, really, seriously cute. And they really, really, seriously needed to get out of there before he made a total idiot out of himself. They had a job to do, and they couldn’t slack on it. Grunkle Ford was counting on them.

He dressed quickly before herding the Pokemon out of the room, taking the Espurr's paw when she shyly offered. How the quiet little thing was dealing with Mabel’s crew was beyond him, but his sister loved the sweet little psychic type as much as she did the five more outgoing Pokemon in her repertoire. He'd largely resigned himself to being unable to catch a Pokemon on his own, but if there was one thing he envied, it was that ability to form a connection. He loved training, helping both Tyrone and Nido reach their full potential. Helping his twin train hers was all well and good, but he really wouldn't mind having a new one of his own to take care of. Maybe if he could get Mabel’s help to weaken a Pokemon who could learn false swipe...

Lost in thought, Dipper didn't realize he was was walking straight into someone until Tyrone's warning trill came a second too late. He yelped, latching onto him to keep them both from falling over. “ _Wirt_! Holy crap, I'm sorry. I wasn't- I mean-” Color sprang to his cheeks, hands quickly leaving his hips where they'd settled. “Sorry.”

“Um…” An identical flush pinkened Wirt’s features as he steadied himself, having very much assumed that his natural clumsiness combined with being off balance would result in him flat on his face on the floor and a very disgruntled Vulpix in his arms. As it was, said Vulpix was only mildly disgruntled and made a soft growl-like sound, ears wilted at the disturbance. “Stop it, Ve,” Wirt chastised quickly, stroking her back to quiet her before looking to Dipper, a little shyly as the memory of his hands on his waist hummed in his mind. “No, no, it’s okay- I should’ve been watching where I was going, you know? It’s fine. You’re fine. We’re- um… fine. Yeah… sorry.”

“Okay. Um. Yeah.” Dipper tried to tuck his hands in his pockets, but Espurr squeaked at him so he picked her up instead. Tyrone chirped, pawing at his leg jealously. “Oh my god, I'll pick you up later, Ty. You have legs for a reason.” He offered Wirt a smile and a shrug. “So, uh, hi. Good morning and stuff.”

“O-oh. Good morning.” Wirt returned the smile, lifting Ve up a little higher so she could rest her paws on his shoulder, her eyes trained on Dipper. “I was- uh… just coming to see if you wanted some breakfast, actually. Are you hungry? Your sister and Greg took over the kitchen and made waffles.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. I hope you’ve got a sweet tooth. With her in the kitchen, they’re probably mostly chocolate chip.” Dipper dropped his gaze to the Vulpix, carefully offering a hand for her to sniff. “Sorry I ran into you, Ve.”

One of her paws pressed on Wirt’s chest, as if to keep him back for his own safety and he had to roll his eyes as she sniffed Dipper’s hand, then nosed it gently to see if she’d get a pet or scratch out of it. “Well, apparently she’ll forgive you, but at a cost,” Wirt chuckled. “You’ll have to use that hand to pet her whenever she demands it.”

“I’m okay with that.” He pet her, carefully scratching behind her ear to see if she liked it, then laughed when she butted his hand for more. “I love how fire types are just naturally warm, y’know? On top of just being fluffy and soft.” Tyrone swatted his leg. “You’re fluffy and soft too, Ty.”

“Oh yeah. In the winter it’s great. Ve’s such a cuddlebug, she sleeps right up against my legs and acts like my own personal heater. In the summer though, I’ve gotta say, it’s slightly less great.” Wirt grinned, letting the Vulpix enjoy the attention Dipper bestowed upon her before starting back down the hall towards the kitchen.

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Dipper laughed, striding beside him and trying not to stare at his legs. They were so long. Why did he have to be cute _and_ tall? He was only a head higher than Dipper, but it was enough to capture and keep his attention. “So, um, you been up a while?”

Ve snorted, ears twitching, and Wirt flushed lightly. “Um… not- not exactly, no…” he admitted. “I’m… not what you’d call a morning person.”

“I sent Humphrey into his room and told him to use waterfall on him to wake him up!” Greg declared when they entered the kitchen, the Poliwag chirping at the sight of them. “It worked.”

“Yeah. It also solidified my decision to invest in a lock for my door,” Wirt muttered, shaking his head. The attack had been another water gun, so had been little more than an annoyance, but enough of an annoyance to warrant Wirt throwing Greg and Humphrey out of his room and nearly slamming the door behind them. He’d taken care not to only for the fact that they had guests.

Mabel giggled, pouring batter for waffles into the electric maker they had. “Greg was awake before I was.”

“You probably wouldn't have stopped him,” Dipper pointed out.

“Nope! I just would've gone after you, too!”

“Thanks, Mabel.” He set the Espurr down, the little Pokemon quickly going to Mabel for fond pets. Tyrone immediately wanted up in her stead, and Dipper couldn’t refuse. “You’re literally the worst.”

“You’ve got nice arms,” Wirt laughed, only to press his lips together as he realized what he’d said. “I- I mean, not that- I- I wouldn’t know, but that’s probably- since your Pokemon like to be in your arms so much, they must be good at- at hugging. Or something.”

Dipper looked up, cheeks coloring. He wouldn’t mind wrapping his arms around Wirt, so he would know. “Oh. Um. It's- they're just spoiled. All of them. I can’t say no. But, I mean, maybe. I guess.”

“Oh my gosh, you two are the biggest dorks,” Mabel teased. “Aren't they, Greg?”

“Yep!” Greg placed his hands on his hips as he nodded. “You guys wouldn’t know, because you’re so tall, but take it from someone who only comes up to your waist that the obvious reason is because your Pokemon like to feel tall. It’s no fun being down here all the time, and getting carried is the best way to feel tall.”

Mabel ruffled his hair. “You’re very wise, Greg.”

Dipper grinned, scratching behind Tyrone's ear. “I think you might be right. Ty, are you just using me to be tall?” Her tail wagged, head bumping the underside of his chin. “Yeah, that's enough proof for me.”

Wirt’s blush refused to fade, still mortified by what had come out of his mouth to a more or less complete stranger. A complete stranger who was pretty cute and good with Pokemon and smart and totally out of his league, who was he kidding? This guy travelled the region, battling other trainers and gym leaders and researching Pokemon, gaining all sorts of new knowledge and having adventures.

The biggest adventure Wirt had had was getting lost in the woods that basically made up his backyard. He didn’t know anything about battle tactics or strategy, the few battles he’d fought in as a kid all resulted in him trying to protect his Oddish from being hurt after the first time she fainted. He refused to battle against any strangers after that, choosing only to battle the trainers employed at Roulade Town’s gym since he knew them well enough and knew that grass types had an advantage over water. He never wanted to put Olive in a fight where she couldn’t win. He had no idea how he managed to level her up enough for her to evolve into Gloom with those tactics. His mom said it was because he loved her so much and took care of her so well, but he knew that wasn’t the way an Oddish evolved.

He supposed the fact that it took five years for her to evolve had something to do with it.

Still, the point was, there was no use getting all worked up over a cute trainer who’d more or less think him pathetic over his lack of strategy and traveling.

Wirt set Ve down on the counter with a little scratch to her lower back that she arched into with a happy little trill. “I need my hands so I can get you some breakfast, Ve, but you can still be tall, too,” he told her, trying to run with Greg’s theory rather than dwelling on his own stupid blabbering. “Do Ty and Espurr like anything in particular for breakfast?” Wirt went to the pantry where they kept their Pokemon food, perusing the options they had. “I mean, aside from whatever is we’re eating.”

“Ty likes everything. Espurr's only been with us a week, so we're still trying to figure out what she likes.” Dipper set his Eevee beside the Vulpix and followed Wirt to search with him. “Wow, you guys have as many varieties as Grunkle Ford keeps around.”

“Ooh! Speaking of variety, Wirt!” Mabel called, flipping a waffle onto a plate and pouring in batter for a second. “Do you want chocolate chip or blueberry? I made both.”

“Oh. Um… blueberry,” he replied, glancing at her over his shoulder in surprise. “Wow. You didn’t have to. I- I kinda feel bad that you went to all the trouble to make breakfast when you’re a guest here. Sorry.”

“I helped, so you don’t have to feel bad, Wirt. I live here, so that makes it okay.” Greg nodded, fetching plates for everyone. “And can I have some chocolate chip waffles please?”

“Absolutely! That’s what I’m having too.” Beaming, Mabel poked Greg’s nose when he passed and then beamed at Wirt. “I like to cook, so it’s okay. I always have to for me and Dipper anyway. He’s hopeless.”

“I am not.” His huff was cut off by a very curious, big-eyed Espurr. She’d wandered over, interested in the scents in the pantry, so he scooped her up. Her gaze latched onto a container of Poffins, and he slipped the box of pastries off the shelf. “We’ll, uh, we’ll pay you back for all this.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jonathan beat Wirt to the assurance as he entered the kitchen, his Marill and Totodile dashing in and heading straight for the cupboard. “With all the Pokemon in this house already, eight more - or, uh… nine counting our little Poliwag here - will hardly change how much food I’ll have to pick up at the store. And these waffles smell delicious. Actually, I changed my mind. You can pay us back with breakfast,” the gym leader chuckled.

“He’s got a point,” Wirt added, pointing to the Poffins. “And, I mean, your Pokemon need to eat. Besides, Ribbon and Ve will want some of those anyway.”

“Well, I mean, it’s not like we don’t keep food for them.” They did really need to stop at a Poke Mart, though. Dipper sighed, digging out a pink Poffin for the purring Espurr. She bit into the pastry, bouncing happily in his hold. “Thanks.”

Mabel laughed, waffles cooking steadily. “Alright, Jonathan, chocolate chip or blueberry?”

 

\----

 

After breakfast, the twins found themselves in their temporary room. Mabel frowned at Dipper, all six of her Pokemon surrounding her near the edge of the bed she sat on. “You want to leave _now_?”

He huffed. “Look, we’ve still got a lot to do.”

“Oh my gosh, Dipper, we finally make some friends out here and you want to run off because you think one of them’s cute?”

“It’s not ‘running off,’” he grumbled, ignoring Tyrone’s attempts to get into his bag while he packed it. “I just don’t want to take advantage of them. Literally all we did was walk them home.”

“I don’t hear you saying he’s not cute,” she prodded.

“Because I have working eyes,” he muttered, closing his satchel and swinging it over his shoulder. Nido was already in his Poke Ball and attached to his belt. “But we said we’d research and find Pokemon for Grunkle Ford, and you _know_ the DexNav’s been beeping like crazy. That forest has days of Pokemon in it, and we’re not going to find any of them in here. And you won’t ever get that Sun Badge for all your rainbow-making needs.”

Her lips pursed, fingers stroking Glaceon when she stretched across her lap. “Rainbows are pretty important.”

“Exactly. So we’ll just get out of their hair and let them do... whatever it is they do when they’re not getting lost in caves.”

“I still just think you want to go because you think he’s cute, and that scares you because you’re a dork.”

Tyrone trilled and he glanced at her, pouting. “Don’t side with her.” The Eevee wiggled playfully and he nudged her onto her side. She decided to simply roll onto her back and, though he huffed, Dipper scratched her belly. “Come on, Mabel. Seriously. You don’t want to take advantage of them either.”

“Hm...”

“ _Mabel_.”

She giggled. “No, I don’t. Maybe we could pay them and just stay for a few days. They let trainers stay here all the time! You heard them. And the woods are right outside.” More encouraged by the idea the more she thought of it, Mabel bounced eagerly. “Let’s do it!”

“Oh my god, no.”

“Why not?” It wasn’t Mabel who spoke this time, but Greg, the boy finally giving up his eavesdropping ruse to throw the door open. “Don’t you like us, Dipper? We like you! We want you to stay! If you stayed, we could go with you to research Pokemon! We wouldn’t bother you or get in your way or anything!” Carrying his Poliwag, Greg darted over to him and hopped on the bed beside him. “Please? Please stay with us? I’ll share all my best rock type facts with you. They don’t actually have anything to do with rock types,” he added in a hushed tone, as if it was a secret.

Dipper blinked, color flooding his cheeks. He quickly glanced at the door to make sure Wirt wasn’t also listening in on them, mortified enough that Greg had heard him call his brother cute. Had he heard that? How long had he been out there? If he told Wirt, he’d die. Just... just die. “I- It’s... uh... It’s not that I don’t like you, Greg. You and Wirt are cool, and your parents are really great. It’s just- I mean- Shut up, Mabel.”

Her impish grin didn’t fade in the slightest, but they both knew her mind had gone right back to Dipper being a scaredy-Skitty. “I said nothing. But you heard Greg! They can come with us! We just have to ask if we can stay.”

“I can ask Wirt to stop being so cute if you want. I’ll make him a mask and you won’t have to feel bad when you look at him,” Greg offered, then huffed to himself. “That brother o’ mine.”

“Greg! Oh my god.” Dipper covered his face. “Don’t- Oh my god.”

Mabel giggled. “What he’s trying to say is ‘don’t tell Wirt.’”

“Please do _not_ tell him I think he’s cute. Oh my god. It’ll ruin my entire life.”

“Can I tell him to just cover up his face? I can tell him it looks funny instead.” Greg smiled to himself, pleased with this alternative. “Then no one’s life has to be ruined!”

“Greg...”

“But then Dipper wouldn’t be able to look at his cute face.” Mabel laughed, deftly catching Espurr when Smeargle’s tail knocked her off the bed. “Let’s just keep this a secret between the three of us for right now, baby.”

Greg’s brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of this. “Okay… but didn’t you say Wirt being cute was why Dipper doesn’t want to stay? I mean, I can keep it a secret, but I also want you to stay, and I know Wirt does, too. He likes you. Both of you.” He glanced between them. “So we have to fix this problem. It’s dire.”

“That’s not- I mean- She’s wrong.”

Mabel grinned, wiggling happily. “Then why can’t we stay, Dipdop?”

“I- Um. We- Y’know- Ugh.” Trapped, Dipper fell onto his back and Tyrone promptly climbed onto his chest to sit, tail thwapping his face. “Fine. Fine, okay, whatever. We still have to actually ask.”

“Oh boy!” Greg flopped onto Dipper’s chest for a hug, just under where Tyrone was sitting, then scrambled from the bed to hug Mabel. “I will! I’ll go ask!” he declared, dashing from the room with his Poliwag at this heels. “Dad! Dad, Dipper and Mabel are gonna stay with us forever, okay?”

“Sounds good, buddy!” Jon called back from somewhere in the house.

“Permission granted!” Mabel cheered.

“Okay, well... fine. But we still need to get going.” He sat up, Tyrone tumbling to the side. “We’ll stick around until we’ve got these woods covered and then move onto Amy’s gym. And then we’re _leaving_.”

“Fine, fine. Come on, guys! Back to your Poke Balls! Let’s go play in the forest!”

While she rounded up her Pokemon, Dipper rose and let Tyrone climb up to perch on his shoulder. Maybe after a few days of being around him this dumb crush would fade. Maybe. He heard Wirt say something to Greg in the hall and felt his dumb, stupid heart skip a beat. It’d better go away.

There was a hesitant knock on the door, Wirt glancing into the open bedroom. “So… Greg’s under the impression that you’re staying forever. Just uh- just wanted to check to make sure this is actually something you’re willing to do and not my little brother holding you hostage. Forever being subjective, of course.”

“Forever’s at _least_ five days!” Greg shouted to them.

“It probably won’t be five days.”

“Ten days!” Mabel decided, earning a bland stare. She gave her twin a thumbs-up, Poke Balls deposited into her bag. “I thought since we were exploring the forest around your house anyway that maybe we could stay a few extra days, and Greg wants us to stay!” She swung her bag over her shoulder, and gave him her best smile. “You want us to stay too, don’t you?”

Wirt’s eyes widened, hands immediately raised in defense. “Of- of course! I mean- as long as you want to, then I wouldn’t mind- I- yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. That’s cool. Um. I’ll- uh… run it by my mom when she gets back from the gym. I mean, Jonathan already said it’s fine, but it’s just good to keep her informed, too. Yeah.” He swallowed, then cleared his throat. “So, um… are you- are you heading out now?”

“Yes!” Greg suddenly tumbled back into their room, decked out in all his best adventure gear, a cardboard and crayon imitation of Dipper’s DexNav clipped to his rucksack and toy Poke Balls attached to his belt. “I’m ready! And so’s Polyanna and Gregg Jr.!”

Grinning, Mabel swept Greg up and gave him a twirl. “You look like a true adventurer, Greg. Let’s go!”

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. “Mabel, we can’t just take Greg without-”

“Wirt’s coming too!” she decided, looping an arm around one of his. “Aren’t you?”

“I- uh… I wasn’t planning on it? I mean, I just didn’t want us to be in the way. We’ve already distracted you from your work and plans so much, and we don’t want to bother you, do we, Greg?” Wirt shot his younger brother a look.

Greg tipped his head back to look at him upside-down. “I’m not a bother. Speak for yourself, brother o’ mine.” To which Wirt pursed his lips with an offended little huff.

“Neither of you are bothers,” Dipper defended, the words automatic but honest. “And we don’t mind if you come with us. We’re just going to be catching Pokemon. I mean... I don’t know. It’s up to you, man, but don’t think you’d be in the way.”

“O-oh…” Wirt started wringing his hands, even with Mabel’s arm around one of his, glancing between her and Greg to Dipper and back. “Well, if Greg’s going, then I should definitely be there to, you know, keep him out of trouble. Let me just go get Olive, Ve, and Ribbon.”

“Pokemon adventure! Yeah!” Greg cheered.

Dipper swallowed the discomfort of the crush to grin. “Maybe if you spend a few days out there with us you won’t get lost in anymore caves,” he teased.

Pink dusted Wirt’s cheeks, though his answering smile was quick in coming. “Please, I’ve packed like, ten escape ropes. I think I’ve learned my lesson. Caves are not going to get the best of me as long as I have something to say about it.” He slipped out of Mabel’s hold to fetch his Pokemon and satchel. “I’ll meet you guys out front.”

“We should hit a Poke Mart sometime today, too,” Dipper mused. “We’re low on their food and, staying here or not, we’ve got eight Pokemon between us.”

“And who knows? You might catch a new one,” Mabel teased.

“Maybe.” He gave Tyrone a pat when she butted the side of his face with her head, letting out a laugh. “Come on. Let’s get this Pokemon adventure started.”

“Woo!”

 

\----

 

“Holy moly, hot Houndour! Mabel, that was amazing!”

Eyes wide and shining, Greg gazed upon the trainer with the utmost admiration and awe he could contain in his little body. The reason for this being the Poke Ball held tight in her hand, housing a brand new Pokemon, freshly captured.

The four of them plus their Pokemon had been out scouring Routes Twelve and Thirteen for a good two hours before taking a peek in the Unknown Forest to see what other sorts of Pokemon Dipper could log. It was also the likeliest place for them to find a water type Pokemon other than Wooper, given that there were ponds and rivers a plenty running through the forest. Not a minute into the forest, they’d been bombarded by an ornery Spearow that was stubborn enough to keep attacking them even when Mabel set her Smeargle on it.

Even Wirt was impressed with how quickly she caught the Spearow once she faced it head-on, but Greg was just beyond delighted. “I’ve never seen someone actually catch a Pokemon before! You were so cool!”

She laughed, tucking the Ball into her twin's offered bag to be scanned and transferred to the PC Box they shared with their grunkle. “Thanks, Greg. Catching Pokemon is almost as much fun as playing with them.”

“You treat it like basically the same thing,” Dipper pointed out.

“Is that the secret to catching Pokemon?” Greg asked. “You have so many, Mabel! You must be an expert!”

“Um... hm.” She thought for a moment before shrugging. “I don't know! I've always been able to catch Pokemon pretty easily. Right, Dipper?”

“Yeah.” He let Tyrone curl up on his satchel once it was closed, resting a hand on her back. “She's captured about forty Pokemon for Grunkle Ford since we started.”

Wirt’s eyes rounded this time, looking up from where he crouched down by Olive to give her a snack and her buds a quick rub. “ _Forty_? Didn’t you only start this, like, a month ago?”

“That’s like a Pokemon a day!” Greg gasped. “Or more!”

“We know the Pokemon near the lab pretty well, so half of them came from that area in the first two weeks.”

“Yep!” Mabel grinned, ruffling Greg’s hair. “But there are only a couple kinds here, right?”

“DexNav is only picking up seven, and we've got Spearow now. And Poliwag’s been logged, so that's good enough. So we only have five in the area to capture unless one sneaks up on us.” Dipper bit his lip. “And that's not actually counting water types, since those constantly revolve, so we might find more.”

“Oh my gosh, what if we find a Goldeen? Those are so pretty!”

“I want to catch a Goldeen, too!” Greg chirped, though dressed in his own version of Dipper’s outfit, he was now eager to idolize and be like Mabel, the Pokemon catching queen.

Wirt huffed out a laugh, decently sure that Greg didn’t yet know the difference between a Goldeen and a Magikarp, and straightened up while his Gloom trilled softly and wrapped her arms around his leg. He gave her a pat and offered Greg a smile.

“Maybe you should ask for some lessons from Mabel so you can catch yourself a Goldeen when the time comes. I mean, you do have your Poliwag now to help you.”

Greg gasped and reached for Mabel’s hand, tugging on it insistently. “Can you please teach me how to catch Pokemon like you, Mabel?”

“Yes!” She squeezed his hand, smile bright. “Maybe you'll learn better than Dipper!”

Dipper only huffed, eyes rolling.

“I will! I’ll be the best student! That’s a rock type fact! A true one.” Greg nodded firmly, hugging his Poliwag tightly with his other arm as the little Pokemon squeaked in agreement.

“Then let's get started, new best friend! Dipper!” Mabel pointed at her twin, grinning. “Where's the next Pokemon?”

He looked down at the tracker, tapping the screen to start it up. “Not too far, but I'm just picking up base stats. Grunkle Ford wanted-”

“Let's go!” Greg’s hand still clasped in hers, Mabel started off at random.

“To the left,” Dipper corrected, resigned. Capturing a Pokemon with base stats for teaching purposes didn't seem like that bad an idea. He glanced at Wirt, smile slight. “Sorry about her.”

Wirt’s smile was brighter. “No, it’s fine. I should be the one apologizing for Greg, honestly. I think he’s just excited. I mean, he’s been bugging me for ages to teach him how to catch Pokemon, but I’ve- you know, never actually caught one.” The quirk of his lips became sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s good that he’s getting someone who’s actually experienced to show him how, but yeah, sorry if us being here is derailing your plan or anything.”

“Wait.” Dipper’s eyes widened. “You've seriously never caught one either?”

Wirt pursed his lips, fidgeting a little and scuffing his shoes against the ground, causing Olive to pat his leg reassuringly. “Um… no. Olive, Ve, and Ribbon are all I’ve got and… yeah, I didn’t catch any of them.”

“Right, yeah, Greg said you'd raised Ve and Ribbon from eggs, but it didn't really click that you'd never- Oh my god, dude. That's, like, the best thing I've heard all week. Not because- I mean, I don't think you're- It's fine that you haven’t. I'd love to get one from an egg. Your bond with them is probably incredible. But it's just…” Dipper shook his head, smile widening but shy. “As easy as it is for Mabel, I've never been able to figure it out.”

Blinking, Wirt gaped for a moment - struck dumb by both Dipper’s words and his smile. “R-really? You don’t- you don’t think I’m… I don’t know, some sort of… weakling for not getting out there and trying to catch Pokemon? Not- not that _you_ would- I’m not saying you seem like the kind of guy who goes around thinking things like that, I mean, you’re a nice guy, but still- I- yeah, I just… I’m not very good at battling? So- so I just try not to put my guys in… those kinds of situations, whether it’s with other trainers or wild Pokemon.” Wirt averted his gaze. “Even if you’re not like Mabel when it comes to catching Pokemon, it’s still pretty brave and impressive that you’re out here at all, you know? And you’ve got two gym badges under your belt with only two Pokemon on your team. That’s- that’s amazing in and of itself.”

“Oh. Um…” Cheeks pink, Dipper shook his head. “It's really not. I just- I just don’t ever want my Pokemon to faint. There are a lot of Ghost and Psychic types around the woods at our grunkles' place, and I've always liked exploring them. Just once I got Ty, it actually became safe for me and Mabel to go. But one day, she got in this battle with a Hypno and it got the best of us.” He looked down at her, petting her back fondly. “I felt like the worst person in the entire world. It wasn’t even a thought that ‘this Pokemon just happened to be stronger, no big deal.’ It was ‘how could I let her get hurt like that? How's she supposed to trust me if I can't keep her safe?’

“So I started researching Pokeblocks and Poffins, proteins and zincs - you know, everything I could get my hands on to start raising her stats. And when Mabel caught the Nidorans and gave me Nido, I did the same with him. It's- I know it's dumb. Pokemon faint. It happens all the time, and it's so easy to fix them up again, but I just... I don't let them faint. I can’t do it.” He shrugged. “That's honestly probably why I can’t catch one. The only thing I can't figure out how to teach is how to go easy on an opponent. You know? Defeats the whole don't-get-hurt thing.”

“O-oh…” Wirt’s eyes widened, and boy if his heart wasn’t skipping a beat at that. “Okay, yeah, you are amazing. I have the same philosophy - don’t let them faint - but you actually did something about it. You didn’t let that stop you from- from going on an adventure and properly training your Pokemon. Don’t sell yourself short, Dipper. It’s really… it’s noble that you- that you care so much about them. Like you said, Pokemon faint and it happens all the time, but that doesn’t mean… it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt them. I think a lot of trainers take that for granted.” Wirt smiled at him, relaxing a little. “It’s nice that you don’t.”

“Don't sell yourself short either, man. It's nice that you don’t too. Pokemon aren't just around for battles.” Dipper shifted Tyrone to his shoulder so he could flip open his bag, pausing as he searched. They'd be able to catch their siblings easily enough. He withdrew a flute-like object that Tyrone immediately recognized. She trilled, wiggling excitedly. “Okay, okay, you'll get one too. You ever use Pokeblocks, Wirt?”

He shook his head. “No, we don’t have a Berry Blender, and I’ve… well, been kinda nervous to use the ones in town. I know it’s dumb, but I feel like people would stare and judge the berries I’m using.” Shrugging a little, he watched as Olive sniffed the air curiously.

“No, that makes sense. Plus, who knows who last used it and if they cleaned it, right?” Dipper grinned. “Plus, a berry blender? Like one that just sits there? That's so old school.” A multicolored block popped out of the odd container and Tyrone kneaded his shoulder. Dipper gave it to her with a sigh, unable to resist, then shook out another and looked at Wirt. “You trust me?”

Wirt flicked his gaze up from the block to catch Dipper’s eye. Though he’d helped them find their way home without question and cared for his Pokemon, he was still essentially a stranger. A very cute, make-your-heart-flutter kind of stranger, yes, but a stranger nonetheless. Still, Wirt couldn’t deny that there was something trustworthy about him. Something that drew Wirt to him, like a Venomoth to a flame- except that was completely the wrong metaphor unless Dipper was actually a dangerous person that he shouldn’t be around, in which case meant that his instincts were absolutely not to be trusted-

“Yeah,” he found himself saying, ignoring his rampant train of thought in favor of going with his gut instinct. With his heart. “Yeah, I trust you.”

“Cool.” He stepped closer, crouching down to Olive’s level. She had a shy nature, definitely, but Dipper thought it was sweet. As sweet as her trainer seemed to be. “What do you think, Olive?” He offered the block to her, lips curved. “Do you trust me, too?”

The Gloom peered out at him from behind Wirt, back to hugging his leg. She looked up at Wirt when he rubbed one of her buds, then back at Dipper and the treat he held out. She leaned forward to sniff it again, then slowly let go of Wirt with one hand and took a step towards Dipper. With a soft sound, she took the Pokeblock and examined it, Wirt huffing out a laugh at his shy-natured Pokemon and her curiosity despite it.

“It’s okay, Olive, you can eat it,” he assured her. “You saw Tyrone just eat one, yeah?” Olive looked to the Eevee, no doubt reminded of Wirt’s own, then popped the little block into her mouth. Wirt lit up when the next sound she made was a happy one, and when she didn’t return to hiding behind him, he took it as another point for Dipper in his book.

Dipper laughed, lifting a hand carefully. When she didn’t flinch away, he gave her a gentle stroke. “I'm glad you liked it,” he murmured before rising and returning the case to his bag. “They don't necessarily do much as far as battle stats, but they're good for confidence and stuff. I always figured their mental health was just as important. Plus, they just taste good for them if they're done right.” He grinned at Wirt, shifting Tyrone into his arms. “I think you're a pretty good trainer, whether you fight a lot or not. Your Pokemon are sweet and obviously love you. I mean, that's the best way to tell if you're any good.”

Wirt’s cheeks blossomed with color as he pressed his lips together against the shy smile. “I- ah… thank you? Yeah… they- they are sweet and I love them, too. Even Ve, fiery as she is,” he laughed a little and carded his fingers through his hair, dislodging his hat some. He fixed it before Dipper could get a glimpse of his hideous hat hair. Apparently this guy saw something in him that made him seem like a good trainer, he wasn’t about to wreck that with hat hair. “Yours do too, you know. Love you. Obviously.” He cleared his throat, blush lingering as he glanced down at Olive under the guise of checking on her. She tilted her body back to look up at him, not buying it at all. “Anyway, we should probably make sure Greg and Mabel haven’t caused too much mayhem without us there to keep them in check, huh?”

“Probably.” When Tyrone perched on his satchel again, Dipper angled his head in a silent “come on,” and led the way. “When, um, when we get back to your place, I'll show you how to use my portable kit and you can use whichever berries you want. I don’t judge.”

“Oh- okay. Thanks. That sounds- that sounds nice.” Wirt and Olive followed after him, the human rolling his eyes at himself for his oh so intelligent response. “Also you’re- you’re welcome to whatever berries we have in the garden. You know, in exchange. Or if there are some that you want in particular. Olive and I help Jonathan tend to it, and as long as stuff gets replanted, he wouldn’t mind if we took some.”

Dipper glanced back, waiting for him to catch up so he could bump their hips together. “Thanks. I've got a few extras to plant too.”

“Boys! Come on!” Mabel called. “We've got a Pokemon to catch!”

“C’mon, Wirt! Dipper! It’s a really good one!” Greg chimed in.

Dipper shook his head, amused by them both. How they'd managed to form such an immediate friendship was beyond him, but then again... He looked at Wirt. He already felt more at ease with him than he did with most others and it hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours. Crush and all, he was just glad to be in his presence. “Maybe you'll pick up some of Mabel’s tips and be able to catch one yourself at some point.”

Lips quirking up, Wirt shrugged and chuckled. “Who knows? I’m the kind of guy that believes in miracles. Because that’s what it’ll probably take in order for me to catch a Pokemon.”

Olive cooed, hurrying ahead when Greg and Mabel came into view, Wirt giving her a light tap to assure her it was fine. Greg looked over and beamed at the Gloom, letting her stand by him so she could get a good view of Mabel and her teaching presentation.

Mabel grinned brightly, watching the tall grass weave and wiggle unnaturally. “Okay. So step one is identifying where the Pokemon are. Always be aware of your surroundings, Greg!” She poked his nose, then winked at Olive before straightening. “Step two is creeping up on the Pokemon once you know where it is.”

Dipper grinned, dropping into a crouch. He gave Greg’s shoulder a squeeze. “This should be good.”

“Hush, Dipper. Let the master work.”

“Yeah, Dipper,” Greg giggled, smiling at him as he held his finger to his lips. “Shh.”

“You shh, Greg,” Wirt shushed back, crossing his arms as he stood behind Dipper, his own grin lighting up his face as his little brother puffed out his cheeks and looked up at him.

“No, you shh.”

“Oh my gosh, you're going to scare away the wild Pokemon before I even get to catch it,” Mabel protested, but was giggling.

“You should probably use Espurr. She's at a good level for the area.”

Mabel reached into her bag, sending her twin a salute before spinning away to creep into the tall grass.

“Oh boy!” Greg gasped, bouncing on the balls of his feet, only to quiet himself when four pairs of eyes flickered to him, hand clapped over his mouth. He scurried after Mabel and set his Poliwag on his head so he could get a good view, too. “Oh boy,” he amended in a whisper. “What's step three, Mabel?”

“Step three is battle!” Mabel startled the wild Pokemon, quickly releasing Espurr from the ball. The big-eyed Pokemon looked a little confused at first, but was quick to guard Mabel and face the Illumise. The bug type puffed its cheeks before showering the area in an almost sickeningly sweet scent. Espurr weaved a little, caught off guard.

Mabel pursed her lips, trying to remember her newest Pokemon's preferred four moves. “Light screen!” she called and Espurr shifted, throwing up what appeared to be a glass shield. It only lasted a moment, though, before it seemed to disappeared. “That'll keep attacks from hurting Espurr as much,” she explained to the boy, smiling down at him.

It was immediately useful, the bug type flying straight at Espurr. Still disoriented from the sweet scent, she took the hit straight on and rolled to the side. “Confusion!” Mabel called and Espurr rolled back up to send a beam the wild Pokemon's way. It weaved in place, the effects immediately clear in the way it seemed to almost drunkenly hurt itself. “Atta girl, Espurr! That's how you do it!”

Espurr looked back, mouth open in a grin that showed her pointy fangs. Mabel gave her a thumbs-up. “Let’s try... um... Dipper, is Psybeam or Psychic stronger?”

“Psychic,” was the immediate response.

“Okay, Espurr, use Psybeam!”

The Pokemon lifted her floppy ears and stepped closer to the confused bug type, and a pink beam shot out and made a direct hit. When Illumise wobbled and fell onto the ground rather than attack again, Mabel grabbed an empty Poke Ball from her bag and threw it towards the wild Pokemon. In a flash of red, it turned to data and filled the ball she'd thrown.

Even confused and weakened, Illumise recognized that she was in an unfamiliar place. The Poke Ball rocked with her efforts to escape, but then there was a clicking sound and the rocking stopped.

“Yes!” Mabel jumped up, arms thrown skyward. “Step four is celebrate! Woo!”

“Technically, step four is throw the ball. Step five is celebrate,” her twin mused.

Undeterred, Mabel did a little dance. “Step five is celebrate! Woo!”

“Wow! Mabel! Espurr! That was even better than when you caught the Spearow!” Greg cheered, running up to hug Mabel. “How many Pokémon do you have now? Is it a million?”

“Not quite a million, unfortunately. I think it's... forty... um. Something.”

She went to the freshly caught Pokemon, plucking up the ball. It was tossed to Dipper, who immediately scanned it with a detachable part of his Pokedex. “Forty-six,” he confirmed, able to say for sure with his equipment out. “Not counting the six she's kept and my pair. But we've logged sixty-two thanks to random battles with trainers and the gyms we've fought at.”

“That’s a lot of Pokemon,” Greg mused, plucking his Poliwag off his head. “I hope someday I can have that many. Then we can all be best friends and battle together and become champions! Right, Dr. Blueberry?” He smiled at the Pokemon when he squeaked, then rubbed their cheeks together. “Just you wait! We’ll be in the Hall of Fame someday!”

“Oh, we don't have them. We've given them all to our Grunkle Ford!” Mabel grinned, giving her Espurr a pat when the Pokemon tugged her skirt. “Do you want a berry?” She chirped, and Mabel dug into her purse. “Here we go! A sitrus berry!” Mabel offered the yellow, gourd-shaped treat to the Pokemon, who eagerly bit into it and bounced happily as what damage the Illumise had done with its attack were healed. “Good girl.”

Greg blinked curiously at Mabel while Wirt’s brow furrowed as he turned that over in his head. “Wait, but they’re still yours… aren’t they?” the older brother asked. “I just thought that you giving them to your great-uncle was like using the Pokemon Storage System. You’re not- you’re not actually _giving_ them to him, are you?”

Mabel laughed. “Of course we are. Oh my gosh, I don't need that many Pokemon, Wirt!”

“Yeah. That’s... That’s what we've been doing. Grunkle Ford wants us to catch as many Pokemon as possible, and we put them in the PC Box we share and he withdraws them.”

“He's working on something super top secret.” Mabel ruffled her Espurr's fur fondly, giggling when she purred. “We’re supposed to meet up with him in a couple weeks. He's near the region's eighth gym, which is perfect!”

Wirt pressed his lips together tightly, cheeks colored with embarrassment at having said anything at all, but something just.... didn’t sit right with him. Maybe Dipper and Mabel just weren’t explaining it perfectly clear. Maybe - if Mabel wanted to - when they needed to withdraw one of the Pokemon she’d caught, all they had to do was contact their great-uncle and he’d make the swap. Surely cataloguing and researching Pokemon didn’t require him to have them all out with him at the same time. Even if he was studying behavior or breeding patterns, or whatever people needed a large quantity of Pokemon for, he couldn’t possibly be using all forty-six at the same time, that would be ridiculous.

Wouldn’t it?

“So you’re not best friends with all your Pokemon?” Greg’s smile fell a little. “Even though you caught them? What if they miss you? What if they want hugs?” He perked up a little. “Does your grunkle give them hugs?”

“Oh, baby, I'm sure he does. Back home, Grunkle Ford likes to send Pokemon across a bunch of different regions as people need them. Dipper and I are pretty sure he's doing the same thing but on a really big scale. Like Ty! Dipper needed her.”

Dipper nodded, petting the Pokemon in question. “He's always said he wanted to travel to different towns and find which Pokemon are needed where. We just don't know why it happened this summer, but it's fine. It gives us a chance to explore.”

“And Dipper gets to be a huge dork and learn new things about Pokemon.” Mabel ruffled Greg’s hair just as she had Espurr. “So don't you worry about me being best friends with all the Pokemon I've caught. The ones I always have are my best friends, and that's all I need. The rest of them are going to really great homes so they don't have to wait in a PC Box. I'm sure of it.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Greg breathed, appearing much more relieved. “Yeah. That’s much better than having to be in a box all day long. Okay, maybe I won’t catch that many Pokemon. I’ll catch twenty. Twenty best friends is good.”

“Twenty best friends sounds perfect!” Mabel encouraged.

It sounded intimidating to Dipper, but he said nothing on it. Every trainer was different, and Greg was just beginning. “Yeah. Don’t worry about them, Greg. I mean, Grunkle Ford's a professor. He definitely knows what's best for Pokemon.”

“A professor?” Greg and Wirt questioned in unison, one excited and one shocked. “Well, that changes everything!” Greg declared.

“You mean your great-uncle isn’t just, like, your run of the mill scientist? He’s actually a professor? A Pokemon professor? Well, when I put it like that, I guess it makes sense. I don’t know why I’m acting like it’s a surprise.” Wirt raked his fingers through his hair, dislodging his hat from his head and scrambling to grab it as it fell to the ground.

Since Dipper was staring at Wirt’s hair - his really awful, how-was-that-even-cute hat hair - Mabel nodded eagerly. “Professor Pines! That’s our Grunkle Ford.”

“Um. Mmhm. Yeah.”

“ _The_ Professor Pines? Neat! Mom and Dad talk about him all the time! They really like him!” Greg babbled.

Wirt tugged his hat back on hurriedly, flushing a little when he caught Dipper’s eye, squirming under his stare. “Y-yeah,” he stammered, smiling weakly as he prayed that the boy he’d only just started making some kind of connection with didn’t think he was a total loser now for having the world’s worst hair. Oh, who was he kidding? He was definitely a total loser, even without the hair being an issue. “Thanks though. Now- now I don’t feel as bad for not letting you know right away that our parents are gym leaders. Professor Pines is… kind a big deal. So I’ve heard.”

“Well, it’s like you said. Kind of hard to work that into a conversation,” Dipper pointed out, his own blush threatening. This guy was too much. How was he supposed to stay in the same house as him for a few days? Oh, boy. “But... you know. He's just Grunkle Ford like your parents are just, like, your parents.”

Relieved that Dipper was just rolling with his lame attempt at conversation, Wirt’s smile shifted into something a little more genuine and relaxed. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right-” he cut himself off with his own grunt when Greg’s weight barrelled into him from behind, the boy leaping onto his back to reach up and pull Wirt’s hat down over his face. “What-? Greg, what are you doing?” he asked, voice partially muffled and hair mussed from the way Greg shoved at his hat.

“The world a service,” he replied honestly.

“You’re so weird…” Wirt sighed, defeated for the time being, shoulders slumping enough so that Greg had no choice but to slide off, his own mini-victory.

Dipper glared at his twin, blush deepening. He knew exactly what Greg was doing, and Mabel's absolutely delighted laughter didn’t help. He couldn't even tell Greg to stop for fear of the reasons coming out. His glare not at all a deterrent, Mabel swept Greg up for a twirl. “Let’s not torture Wirt, baby. We've got more Pokemon to find!”

Greg joined in with his own giggles as they spun. “How many more Pokemon do we have to catch? And can me and Dr. Blueberry battle one? I want to help him get nice and strong!”

Wirt fixed his hat so he could see again, smoothing down his hair to the best of his ability before replacing it. He caught sight of Dipper’s blush, lips pursed together at how the flare of color in his cheeks made him look even cuter than he already was without it, if that was at all possible. Why was he blushing though? Had something embarrassed him? It was the only explanation he dared to let himself consider. Anything else would just be getting his hopes up. Phanphys would fly before Wirt would ever consider the possibility of Dipper maybe liking him a little in the way he was starting to like him, and that was a rock type fact.

He smiled at Dipper to put him at ease. “Come on, there are still at least five Pokemon you haven’t logged yet, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He swallowed, fighting away the blush. “Um. Yeah. Okay.” Dipper waved Greg over, grabbing his Pokedex again. “Come on, Greg. If you want to try a battle, let's find out what your Poliwag's really capable of.”

“Dr. Blueberry knows surf and hydro pump and bubblebeam and belly drum!” Greg rattled off.

Wirt snorted, unable to help grinning. “Greg, you do know that Pokemon don’t just have whatever attacks you want, right? They have to learn them. They don’t just start off knowing everything. You’ve seen Olive learn new moves. Ve and Ribbon, too.”

“Yeah, well, Dr. Blueberry is a doctor, Wirt. He knows lots of things.” Greg nodded, but carried the Poliwag over to Dipper nonetheless.

“It’s true,” Mabel agreed. “Doctors are very wise.”

Dipper huffed a small laugh, letting the scanner hover over the small Pokemon. “Okay, nothing really surprising for the moves. Water sport, water gun, hypnosis, and bubble are the basics for a level twelve, but his stats are great for a wild Pokemon. Really high defense, and a sturdy offense.” He gave the Poliwag a small pat, grinning. There were more impressive stats, its speed and evasiveness high. The nature - calm and cool - was a little off for a Poliwag, but no two could be the same. “You definitely picked a good first Pokemon, Greg.”

The Poliwag squeaked, his tail giving a little wiggle at Dipper’s praise while Greg hugged him. “I think he picked me,” he told him. “So I've gotta be a good trainer for him back.”

“You will be, Greg.” Wirt placed his hand on his shoulder. “You'll look after him and be his best friend, like you said, and that's what matters.”

“Absolutely!” Mabel plucked her Espurr up, carrying her over to them. She knelt down with her, smiling when she began to purr. “When Pokemon are your friends, they'll do anything for you.”

“And you'll do anything for them,” Dipper added, scratching Tyrone behind the ear. “It's a partnership, and if you always remember that, you'll be a great trainer.”

Greg looked between them, smile growing. “I just want to be as good a trainer as you guys,” he told them. “You’re the best I’ve ever seen ever. And so are your Pokemon!”

Dipper ruffled his hair. “Thanks, Greg.”

Mabel gasped. “We should have a practice battle! We can give your Poliwag some great experience and it'll be great!”

“We’re supposed to be catching-”

“Pssh. We have plenty of time to catch more Pokemon! It’s a teaching opportunity, Dipper! They're very important!”

“Yeah! Please, Dipper? Please, please, please,” Greg pleaded with him, tugging on his hand insistently.

Wirt pursed his lips. “I- I don’t know, Greg. Your Poliwag’s only- what was it? Level twelve? I’m sure Dipper and Mabel’s Pokemon are much stronger. I mean, even mine are.” Olive cooed her agreement.

“Not _that_ much stronger,” Greg pointed out. “You hardly ever battle, Wirt.”

“It doesn't have to be a battle until they faint. Dipper and I used to have play battles all the time! Espurr's only at eighteen, so I can use her.”

Dipper shrugged. “We could do doubles.” He glanced up at Wirt, shrugging. “If you want to. I mean, you could use Ve. Being naturally weak towards water types would make the fight more even anyway.”

    “I guess…” Wirt reached into his satchel to pull out Ve’s Poke Ball. “She’d probably love to have a play battle, actually. Come on out, girl.”

    The Vulpix shook her head a little as she burst from the Poke Ball, her five tails fluffing out. She blinked up a Wirt, then rubbed against his leg until he stooped down to stroke along her back. Satisfied with the petting, she looked around at the familiar faces, her tails wiggling happily as she trilled.

    “Oh boy! What should the teams be?” Greg asked, setting down his Poliwag so he could get himself ready for their practice.

“Hm... Well... Dipper’s better at battling,” Mabel admitted. “So if I can show you how to catch a Pokemon, Dipper can show you how to battle with one!”

Dipper bit his lip, glancing at Wirt. He'd wanted to be on his team, but that was completely stupid. “That works for me. Wanna be on my team, Greg?”

“Do I!” he chirped, hopping over to his side, beaming at him.

“Uh…” Wirt rubbed the back of his neck, then smiled at Mabel. “Guess that makes you and me then, huh? Espurr and Velvet?”

“You betcha! Older siblings versus younger siblings!”

Mortified, Dipper’s cheeks burned. “I'm not _younger_. We’re the same age!”

Mabel ignored him. “Battle of the century! Older siblings always dominate!”

Dipper huffed. “Alright, Ty, ready to play?” She chirped, hopping down to prance regally in the dirt. “Atta girl.” He crouched down, scratching behind her ear. “Okay. So, Greg, when you come across a trainer who wants to battle, it's different from a gym battle. In gyms, the leader picks how many Pokemon you each use and it's a pretty fair fight as far as that goes. A traveling battle is totally different. You use any and all of your Pokemon, and you never know what you're facing.”

“And you win money!”

“Or stuff, but yeah. Most of the time you get money for winning. For this, things are obviously going to be a little different.” Dipper grinned, remaining crouched down to be on both Greg’s and their Pokemons’ levels. “So no knock-outs, one Pokemon each, and we'll just go until we’re ready to call it. Sound good?”

“Aye aye, admiral!” Greg saluted him and the Poliwag bounced, then he punched his palm with his other hand. “Let's get 'em.”

Dipper laughed. “Yeah. So in any Pokemon battle, the best strategy is speed. If you can make the first move, you've got the advantage. So-”

“Espurr, light screen!”

Dipper glanced up, rolling his eyes as his twin's Pokemon threw up an invisible shield that covered both Espurr and Velvet. “Well. There’s that, but we can win even with the second move. For you, I would suggest using water sport first. Not only will that lower the attacks of any fire types on the field, it'll put water in the air for your Poliwag to draw from. With us being on land, it just makes those water attacks easier and less tiring.”

“Okay.” Greg nodded, then turned to his Poliwag. “You heard the man, Dr. Blueberry. Water Sport!”

The Poliwag shot a stream of water into the air above his head. It rained down over him and Tyrone like a mist, dampening them in a protective layer of water. Greg giggled as his Pokemon appeared happy with this arrangement, while his older brother's wrinkled her nose in distaste, tails fluffing out and ears twitching.

“It's okay, Ve,” Wirt soothed. “Go ahead and lower their defenses with tail whip.”

She cast him a glance over her shoulder, the move one she'd long since grown out of, but when she looked to Greg and his Poliwag, she seemed to accept his choice. It was a play battle after all. She bounded forward and turned, flicking her tail in Tyrone's face before trotting back over to stand at Espurr's side.

Tyrone disapproved of this with a light sneeze, her glance back at Dipper an unimpressed one. He only grinned. “So my normal tactic is offense over defense, and the more you battle, the more you'll develop your preference. But no battle was ever won by standing around fluffing a tail. Go for a tackle, Ty. Get Ve back for that.”

She perked up immediately and bolted over, only to lift her hind end and wag her tail playfully. Toning down the attack considerably, she pounced on the Vulpix and rolled with her on a happy trill.

Used to romping around with another Eevee outside of battle, Ve had to hold herself back from swatting at Ty until it was her turn again. She did kick at Tyrone with a playful yelp to get her off, then rolled to her feet with a little wiggle. Wirt, on the other hand, flushed lightly and averted his gaze.

“Defense isn’t something to be ignored either, whether it’s your stat that’s lowering or your move that just so happens to be a defensive one,” he replied.

Dipper laughed. “See? Every trainer's different. Defense moves do have their place, though. Ty always has at least one ready to use.”

“Espurr, hm... Psybeam. Aim for Ty.” Espurr took aim and fired, ears lifting as a beam was fired towards the Eevee. She dodged it easily, bouncing and glancing back at Dipper for approval.

He nodded. “Alright, Greg, you’re up again. So you can do one of your attacks or go for hypnosis. That just puts one of the Pokemon to sleep, but for a double battle, you want to be sure to tell your Pokemon who it needs to go after.”

“Okay. Um…” Greg tapped his chin as he looked between Espurr and Ve. “Water gun at Ve, Dr. Blueberry!”

Wirt’s eyes widened as Dr. Blueberry sent a stream of water at the fire type. Being nearly double the Poliwag’s level prevented too much damage from being dealt to Ve, but it still made Wirt uneasy to see her get hit by a type she was weak to. He relaxed when she seemed more distraught over her fur being wet than anything, huffing out a small laugh when she sent a pitiful look his way.

“I’ll give you a good brushing after this,” he promised her.

Dipper had to bite his lip to keep from laughing too hard. Poor thing took being wet as well as Tyrone. “Good job, Greg.” He transferred the laughter’s cause to the boy, giving him a one-armed squeeze. “You’re going to be a great trainer, shortstop. I can already see it.”

“One day his Poliwag's gonna take Ty down!” Mabel called, grin mirthful when she glanced at Wirt.

“I don’t doubt it.” Wirt smiled back, then looked to Ve when she shook out her fur. “Okay, girl, try a quick attack on Dr. Blueberry.”

Ve crouched, rump wiggling in the air before she took off, darting across the battlefield in a zigzag pattern before knocking into the Poliwag. He bounced and rolled away, kicking with his little feet to right himself and using his tail for leverage. Ve bounded back to Wirt’s side and weaved between his legs.

“It’s okay, Dr. Blueberry. Shake it off. You got this,” Greg called to encourage his Pokemon.

Dipper looked down at Tyrone, who waited not-so-patiently for instructions. She wasn't used to slow battles like this, so her tail twitched as she chirped at him. “Let’s show Greg a move that'll affect both opponents. Be gentle, Ty, but let's go with swift.”

Her tail wiggled, the so-called super Eevee making a concentrated effort to attack with only a fraction of her ability. Stars swirled around her suddenly and pelted both Espurr and Velvet.

Espurr whirled dizzily in place, so Mabel reached into her bag. “I'm using my turn to give Espurr an oran berry. Come on, girl.” The Pokemon took the blue berry in her paws gratefully, healing as she dug in.

“Dr. Blueberry, use hypnosis on Espurr!” Greg commanded, one hand on his hip as the other pointed dramatically ahead of him.

The Poliwag’s eyes glowed a bright blue, emitting a steady pulse of hypnotic rings intended to put his target to sleep.

Definitely the makings of a good offensive trainer, Dipper mused, grinning as the rings hit the distracted Pokemon. The big, round eyes started to close, Espurr dropping down to sit and then lie on the ground, snoring softly. Mabel gasped. “Greg!”

Dipper laughed. “All’s fair in love and Pokemon battles. Now we just have to take out Wirt, and we win it, Greg.”

“I can still wake her up,” Mabel reminded him with a huff, but after a quick dig through her purse, she blinked. “Uh-oh.”

“I've got the chesto berries,” her twin reminded her.

“You brat!”

“How you feeling, Ve?” Wirt gave her a once over, his Vulpix still a little dizzy from Tyrone’s swift. “Want to try out will-o-wisp?” That perked the fire type up considerably. With a happy little chirp, Ve lowered into a crouch and her eyes took on a purplish tint. “Alright then, use will-o-wisp on Ty, but remember, be gentle. Don’t burn her.”

Velvet’s ear twitched in understanding, little purple embers materializing around her. She opened her mouth and blew out a flare of the mystical fire, but in her excitement, her aim was a little off and she missed Tyrone completely. She blinked and pawed at the ground as she straightened up.

“It’s okay, Ve. That was a good try,” Wirt encouraged her. “You’ll get her next time.”

Dipper bit his lip, gaze on the trainer rather than the Vulpix. He was really sweet on top of all that cute. It was a very dangerous combination. “Ty, baby doll eyes. Let’s lower her attack.”

Tyrone trotted closer, gazing at Velvet with rounded eyes until a circle of colored light surrounded them and Ve took a step back in retreat.

“Espurr’s still asleep, which means it’s our turn again!” Greg grinned at his Pokemon. “Do another water gun on Ve, Dr. Blueberry!” This time when the stream of water hit the Vulpix, she flinched and took several more steps back, until her haunches brushed against Wirt’s legs in her retreat.

“Okay, we’re done.” Wirt bent down and immediately picked up his Pokemon, cradling her against his chest as if she were on the verge of fainting. “Ve and I are out.” She snorted at his decision, but was altogether content to be coddled.

“Aw, we weren’t gonna hurt her, Wirt,” Greg assured him.

“I know,” the older brother replied, a little defensively as he hugged Ve closer. “She’s just- Ve’s tired. And grumpy.” She snorted again.

“No, yeah, I'm with Wirt. I was about to suggest we call it, but you went too fast for me.” Dipper ruffled Greg’s hair before rising. “You've absolutely got the makings of a good trainer, and you'll work the kinks out with a little more practice.

“Mabel, do you want a berry for Espurr?”

“No, it’s okay. She earned a nap.”

While Mabel called her sleeping Pokemon back, Dipper made his way to Wirt and his Vulpix. “She okay?” Dipper ran a hand through her wet fur, lips curving as water began to steam away. “We've got plenty of oran berries for her health if you want one.”

“Oh, she’s fine,” Wirt assured him, scritching lightly behind her ear. “She’s just not used to fighting water types. I’ve got some oran berries, too. Thanks though.” He looked up from the Vulpix, smile bordering on self-deprecating. “Probably seems pretty silly for me to be coddling her like this from a play battle.” When she’d effectively dried herself, she started to wriggle until Wirt shifted his hold on her, letting her place her paws on his shoulder as she looked to Dipper. “You did a great job guiding Greg in battling, by the way. I think he’ll learn a lot from you and Mabel.”

“Oh. Um. Thanks. I mean-” Dipper started to tuck his hands in his pockets, but when Tyrone batted at his leg, he stooped down to pick her up. “I think enough research has shown that Pokemon generally _like_ to battle. Like, definitely don't force one that doesn't want to, but most of them like it. Helps with their energy and is usually the best way to strengthen bonds between them and their trainer. So I just- I don’t know. Most if the time, I just have fun with it and try to make sure these guys do too. Greg’s got fun down pretty well.”

He reached out to pet Ve’s back, grin flashing. “But it's pretty obvious that you don’t battle too often. That’s not a bad thing either.”

While the grin reassured him some, Wirt still couldn’t help but have his doubts. After all, how was he supposed to bond with his Pokemon if he didn’t let them battle? How could they trust him if he hadn’t proved himself worthy of them or that he could take care of them when they needed him to? As awful as it was to see them get injured to the point of fainting dead away on the battlefield, Wirt knew that hardly anything made a Pokemon happier than standing triumphant after a heated match and gaining experience.

It definitely wasn’t doing him and his Pokemon any favors by keeping them sheltered in his home, especially when Ve and Ribbon liked battling and enjoyed being taken places outside of their home. Wirt watched as Greg scooped up his Poliwag and spun him around, the little Pokemon chirping happily, then looked to Tyrone.

Maybe there was something to battling.

“Well, who knows,” Wirt mused with a shrug. “That may very well change. I mean, what with Greg having a Pokemon now. I’m sure he’ll want to battle with me a lot, not to mention go out into town and challenge people, so I’ll no doubt get roped into that somehow.”

Dipper shifted to stand beside Wirt and bump their hips together. “Yeah, well, while we're here, I'm all for helping you both out. If you want any tips or whatever.” When his sister scooped both Greg and his Pokemon up to twirl them both, cheering for their very first victory, he laughed. “Mabel’s all for it too.”

“Yeah?” Wirt’s smile grew as he watched their siblings. “Well, if you’re all for it, then… I’m all in, too.” He glanced at Dipper, lips pressing together as he fought the warmth filling his cheeks.

“Cool. I can show you some accuracy drills I use if you want. Nido used to get so excited when he was battling that he'd miss half the time. Not really helpful when you've got a psychic type who's already predicted the move you were going to use. You've gotta land everything you can.” He bit his lip, not quite certain how to read Wirt’s expression. “But, like... yeah. It's up to you.”

“Yeah, that’d- that’d be good.” Wirt’s heart was fluttering, flush only deepening as his gaze was drawn to the way his teeth caught his lower lip. Oh boy. “I- uh… I think Ve would really like that. Mmhm.”

“Let’s go do that now!” Mabel cheered, making Dipper jump. Tyrone batted him, the jolt startling her.

“Sorry, Ty. Sorry. Just- _Mabel_!”

“What?” Unashamed of her eavesdropping, she hiked Greg higher in her grasp. “We've caught two Pokemon in this area and Greg and I are ready for lunch. So let's go!”

“I am feeling pretty hungry myself, and I bet our Pokemon would appreciate some food before getting back to training and searching for more Pokemon.” Wirt shrugged a little and smiled at the twins, though his gaze lingered on Dipper. “To be continued?”

“Um. Yeah. Absolutely.” Though Dipper was almost positive that Mabel was only cutting their search short to ensure that they stayed at the Palmer-Whelan home longer, he couldn’t deny that he really wouldn't mind being around them. He found himself genuinely looking forward to teaching this really cute guy some training tricks and helping give his brother a foundation. Maybe he'd needed a break from traveling more than he'd realized. “Let’s, uh, let's go.”

“Woo! Lunchtime, Greg!”

“Yeah! C’mon, Sir Bouncyball! Let’s get some food!” Greg set his Poliwag atop his head, then set off in what he believed to be the direction of their house.

“Other way, Greg,” Wirt called out, setting Ve down so she could walk alongside Olive.

Dipper laughed, setting Tyrone down when she wiggled in his grasp. She immediately pounced on Ve, trilling playfully. “Oh my god, Ty, please behave.”

“She’s used to it,” Wirt chuckled, grinning when Olive ducked behind him while Ve rolled with Ty, her own happy little chirp escaping when she patted at the Eevee’s ear with her paw.

Bushy tail wagging, Tyrone rubbed her head affectionately against Ve’s side and Dipper sighed, lips twitching. She'd tried playing with Mabel’s Eevee, but once she'd evolved, Tyrone had given up. None of Mabel’s other Pokemon were able to play with her the way she wanted either. Espurr was close, but she was too gentle for the rough and tumble Eevee. Ve, however, seemed to fit the bill.

Dipper couldn’t help but stoop down, petting both of them. “Come on, girls. You can play when we get back to the house.” Tyrone hopped in place.

Velvet stretched and fluffed out her tails, happy enough to trot along beside the Eevee, but not until after rubbing herself against Dipper’s leg. Wirt’s eyes widened and he could hardly fight the smile that pulled at his lips. Ve was pretty finicky over who she bestowed her attention upon, as demanding as she was, so the fact that Dipper had won her over… well, that only made Wirt’s heart flutter like a flock of Butterfree all the more. Watching his hands stroke along the backs of their Pokemon only reminded him of the way they’d felt holding onto his waist that morning and how he wouldn’t mind feeling a touch like that again, though with less chances of one of them falling flat on their face due to a near collision.

Greg’s chant for lunch reminded him that he was still just standing there in the middle of the forest staring at Dipper and their Pokemon like a lovestruck fool, so Wirt tried to nudge those thoughts away for the time being. As well as they were getting along, there was still no chance that someone as worldly as Dipper would ever take a look at someone like him and see anything other than a friend at best. Because he sort of had the feeling that they were becoming friends, and that would be miracle enough, honestly. How could he possibly hope for more? Well, the guy was adorable and cool and kind and smart, so he really didn’t stand a chance, huh?

He’d just have to make sure he stayed on the defensive with this blossoming crush, because the second he went on the offensive, put himself out there, took initiative, well, that’s when mistakes happened. That’s when things went wrong. Wirt really didn’t want things to go wrong.

“We should, um… we should try and keep up with Greg. Make sure we don’t lose him or Mabel or anything,” Wirt coughed, fidgeting with his satchel before setting off in the direction he’d told Greg to head in. “At least I know the way this time.” It was one thing he could be sure of in the middle of this tumultuous storm of emotion twisting inside him.

That, and the fact that Greg was no where close to deciding on a nickname for his Poliwag. It changed three more times during the course of their lunch and showed no signs of stopping.


	3. Don't Splash Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry we haven't updated this lately! We've actually been writing this fic pretty steadily, so there are no excuses for chapters 3, 4, and 5 not being posted. We'll work on getting those out to you guys shortly! Thank you for your patience and happy Thanksgiving!

That afternoon was spent on training drills that were more like games for the Pokemon involved. Tyrone was more than happy to show off her skills and, once released, Nido struck makeshift targets with eager abandon. Dipper gave both rewards for every successful drill, ranging from treats to the simple affection both readily responded to.

He did the same for Wirt’s three, taking them through the course one at a time. Ve and Ribbon were both excited and eager after watching Tyrone and Nido. Olive, while hesitant at first, had grown bolder as they'd continued. Dipper had been delighted by them, and his embarrassing crush on their trainer had only worsened. They were all so happy and well taken care of. It was impossible not to like a guy who treated his Pokemon as well as Wirt obviously did.

The impression didn’t fade in the slightest as the days passed. Tyrone didn’t help, easily able to get Wirt to do as she wanted which was often just Ve. She’d swat at his leg to be picked up, only to bat at the Poke Balls on his belt in search of her new friend.

On their final night - “Mabel, we can’t stay any longer. We've caught everything in the area. We'll try and grab some water types tomorrow, but then we're challenging Amy and moving on.” - Tyrone was so obviously upset. Dipper gave her an extra treat before bed, stroking her back. He told her the same thing he'd told his twin - they just couldn't stay, but they could absolutely come back.

It hadn't perked her droopy tail and lowered ears and, in the early hours of the morning, Dipper was startled awake by the distinct lack of his Eevee. “Ty?” he called softly, wary of awakening his sister and her Pokemon. Nido lifted his head, grunting unhappily when Dipper rose.

“Shh. It’s okay. I'm just gonna go find Ty. You can sleep.” He patted his Nidoran’s back before quietly retrieving his flashlight and padding out of the room. The creak of a nearby door gave him a pretty good idea of where she'd gone, so he quietly made his way down the hall. The first door he peeked into was Greg’s, a careful sweep revealing no Pokemon other than the Poliwag, floating peacefully in a decorative water tank.

The next open door caused much more hesitation, Dipper biting his lip hard as his hand hovered above the doorknob until he heard a very familiar call for attention. Mentally groaning, he pushed open Wirt’s door just in time to see Tyrone leap onto the bed. “Ty,” he hissed. “This isn't good. Come on. You can’t be in here.”

Tyrone fluffed her tail, ignoring him in favor of finding the Vulpix. She climbed right on top of Wirt to do so. “Ty, oh my god, don't make me come in there.” She sneezed, unimpressed by his threat, and chirped happily before pouncing on Velvet.

The Vulpix was already awake, her tails swatting Wirt’s side as they wagged. Up by his head, Ribbon woke up as well, yawning squeakily before hopping up to investigate. She lifted her rump in the air, giving a little wiggle before pouncing on Ty and Ve to join in the tussle.

“Mm…” Wirt hunched up under the covers and rolled onto his side so his back was to the Pokemon. “Guys, go t’sleep. S’bedtime.”

Ve just pawed at Ty before snuggling up to her while Ribbon flopped on Ve’s back.

Dipper bit his lip, uncertain what to do. He was wary of calling out to his Pokemon again, not wanting to awaken Wirt all the way. But he couldn’t just leave her there. Frowning, feeling like the biggest creep, he stepped into the room. Ears twitching, Tyrone pressed closer to Ve and trilled. “Shh. Ty, come on,” Dipper whispered.

The sheets rustled, Wirt reaching back with one arm to pat his Pokemon to soothe them back to sleep, but froze when his fingers brushed three distinct, furry bodies. “Mm? Wha-?” Pulling back his hand, Wirt sat up and flicked on the lamp on his bedside table, eyes closed in preparation for the onslaught of light, though it wasn’t all that bright. It was just enough for him to see that Ty was the addition to his bed, and that she wasn’t the only surprise in his bedroom.

“Dipper?” Bleary-eyed, he blinked at him sleepily, awareness steadily filling his gaze. Wirt tugged at the edge of the blanket as if to cover up any indecency, though he was wearing a long-sleeved pajama top, so indecency was not at all an issue.

He winced. So much for not getting caught. “Sorry. I'm-” Dipper glared at his very smug Eevee. “She ran in here. I'm sorry. I'll just get her back to bed.”

“O-oh. Right.” Wirt looked to Ty, then rubbed at his eyes to try and clear his vision some. “No, it’s- it’s okay. I know she and Ve have really bonded over the past few days, and… well, since it’s your last night here, it’s okay if she stays. As long as you’re okay with that.”

Dipper fiddled with his flashlight, biting his lip. He didn’t really mind if Wirt didn’t, but she'd been with him for three years. He wasn’t sure if he could sleep without her. “Well... I just...” He watched Tyrone rub her head beneath Ve’s chin and sighed. “If it’s really okay with you, that's... It’s fine.”

Wirt twisted the blanket in his lap between his hands, Dipper’s hesitation not escaping him. “You could, too,” he blurted before he could regret it. “I- um… we could- grab extra blankets, maybe? Set up a- a sort of sleeping area on the floor. Or something.”

“Seriously?” Dipper stared at him, surprise slowly melting into a grin. It had gotten increasingly easier to talk to Wirt over the week, though learning more about the shy, sweet trainer had done nothing to curb his crush. But he found himself stumbling over his words, the hour early and the idea feeling a little more intimate than he'd meant. “That’s... Yeah. If you- I mean, if you’re seriously cool with that, yeah. I- You don’t have to give up your bed, though. That’s... I don't know.”

Wirt laughed, already tugging his blankets off and coaxing the Pokemon to hop from the bed to the floor. “Well, I'd feel like I was missing out on some serious fun if you guys were all down there and I'm up here. And my bed's not big enough for you, me, and our Pokemon.” Wirt swung his legs over the edge of the bed, blushing as he realized what he'd just said. “I mean, if you'd wanted to sleep somewhere more comfortable than the floor, but it's not like you don't have your own bed for that, why would you want to share mine? Just ignore me, I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. I'll go find more blankets. And pillows, yeah.” He stood up and tossed his stripped bedding to the floor, Ve batting at it as it fell while Ribbon burrowed into it.

Tyrone helped Ribbon burrow into the bundle, squeaking at Ve for her to join. Her trainer sighed. “You’re such a brat, Ty.” When she only trilled, he shook his head. “I'll come with you. Help you carry whatever,” he offered.

“Oh, okay. Sure.” Wirt fiddled with his pajamas sleeves. “We can, uh, grab the pillows from your bed, too, and see if Nido wants to join us.”

“He probably will.” He glanced at Olive, blinking her bright eyes at them, and sent her a wave. “Thanks for, uh, not being weirded out. It really wasn't my plan to invade your room at two in the morning.”

“Well, I might’ve been a little weirded out if it was just you invading my room,” he teased, pausing to rub one of Olive’s buds before leading the way out of his room.

They gathered several blankets and pillows, enough for their Pokemon to steal and nest in while still leaving some for the two of them. Dipper picked up a sleepy Nido while Wirt nabbed his pillows, the two of them creeping out of the room without disturbing Mabel or her Pokemon. Wirt spread out the largest and thickest blanket on the floor of his room, big enough for two teenage boys and five Pokemon easily.

Wirt had never actually had a sleepover before, with someone who wasn’t Greg that is, so when he settled down in his spot and looked over to see Dipper doing the same, he couldn’t help grinning. He’d never really had a friend that he could have sleepovers with. It was just a shame that this first would also be their last.

Dipper returned the grin, unused to having the pillow to himself, but Tyrone was snuggled up to Ve between the trainers. He petted her in silent forgiveness for sneaking out of bed to begin with. Wirt wasn’t the only one who'd never had a sleepover. “Um. Mabel and I were talking earlier, and... We were thinking maybe we could come back? After we meet up with Grunkle Ford, I mean.”

“Yeah?” Wirt’s eyes widened, smile growing as he fiddled with Dipper’s flashlight, flicking it on so he could reach up and turn off his bedside lamp without shrouding them in complete darkness just yet. “That’d be- that’d be amazing. I’d love- _we’d_ love that. Greg and I. I mean, yeah. Yeah, you’re totally welcome to drop by whenever you want. You and Mabel have already won our parents over anyway, so- yeah. If- if you wanted to come back, we’d be happy to have you.”

“Okay. I mean, she totally loves Greg, and, well, so do I. He's great. And you're just-” Cute and amazing and cute and interesting and cute and cute and - oh, he was such an idiot. Dipper cleared his throat. “You’re the best, man. You’re great too. And I know Ty wants to come back. It’s hard for her to make friends, and... um... it's kind of hard for me too? So... yeah.”

“What? But you’re so nice and sweet- I mean, um, and cool and smart,” Wirt told him, pulling the blankets up to his chin as he kept his gaze trained on the dark ceiling, Ribbon climbing onto his chest to nestle down on and go back to sleep. “You care about Pokemon and… and people. You go out of your way to help people out and not too many people would do that, you know? You’re just- you’re interesting. I dunno. I’m glad to be your friend.”

“I'm...” Dipper reached out, hand hesitating over Wirt’s until Tyrone batted his arm. He glanced at her, but let his fingers brush Wirt’s. “I'm really glad to be your friend, too. You seriously are the best. You care about people and Pokemon and you're- Well, you're nice and sweet too. And cool and smart, for that matter. Like...” He rolled onto his side, biting his lip as he gazed at Wirt’s profile. “Of all the people to find lost in the woods, I'm glad it was you. And Greg, yeah.”

Wirt tilted his head to look at him in the dim lighting, the way the shadows crept along Dipper’s features made his breath hitch. “Of all the people to find us, I’m glad it was you, too,” he murmured. He didn’t know what Dipper saw in him to make him think he was the best, but he couldn’t deny the way it made his head tingle and his heart feel light regardless. In the early hours of the morning, the two of them lying close in the dark, Wirt felt like maybe, just for the night, he could pretend that there really was a chance they could be something more than friends. That the cute face and huge heart could belong to him, and that he could actually be worthy of how highly Dipper thought of him. He could pretend that he was the kind of guy who could go on a Pokemon adventure so he wouldn’t have to say goodbye. He could just go with him. Maybe. If Dipper wanted him to. “You’re going to do some pretty amazing things, Dipper. You’ll- you’ll have to make sure to come back and tell me all about them, okay?”

“Dude, absolutely. I... I kinda... Well, not kinda. I really wish you and Greg could come. Mabel’s been trying to get me to ask, so...” Dipper shifted restlessly. He'd been afraid that his hopes would rise, just to be turned down. Why would Wirt want to travel across the region with them? “This is really bad timing. It's late and it's our last night and- Sorry.”

“Wait, you’re not- you’re not serious, are you?” Wirt wheezed, gripping the blankets tightly as he rolled to face him, disturbing Ribbon into jumping off to press up against his back. “Are you- are you really asking if- if I’d want to-? Oh my gosh. I- you- you can’t be serious. I’d just get in the way.”

“In the- No, you wouldn't. You haven't been in the way this whole week. You could never be in the way, Wirt.” Dipper laid his hand more firmly over his, searching his eyes in the dim lighting. “Do you- Do you want to come with us? It would be amazing if you could. I- I'm totally serious. I mean it. I'd love it if you were with me. Us.”

“You would?” Wirt swallowed thickly, heat flooding his cheeks at the firm touch. Dipper’s hand was warm and Wirt very much wanted to turn his hand so their palms would meet and their fingers could lace. He wanted to know how they would fit together and how right it would feel. He managed the former, but couldn’t quite manage to twine their fingers together. His did curl around Dipper’s hand though, that simple act alone using up all his nerve. “I’d… I’d have to ask and… and think about it, but I do. Want to, that is. I think. I know I don’t want to say goodbye tomorrow, so… going with you seems like the obvious solution, doesn’t it? If you’re serious. You’re- you’re not just messing with me, are you?” He raised his eyebrow, trying to tease and keep things light and friend-like while his heart fought hard not to explode right in his chest. But oh god, he didn’t think he’d be able to handle it if he was messing with him.

Dipper's grip tightened and he shifted a little closer, Tyrone content enough to move closer to Ve in response. “No, man. That'd be mean. I'm serious. If you want to come- if you can, I... Will you come with us? I want you to come. We can do those pretty amazing things together. That'd be way better than telling you after.”

Pulse fluttering frantically, Wirt pressed his lips together tightly as he soaked up Dipper’s honesty. He meant it. He could see it even in the dim lighting - romantic on any other occasion - and it was bright and shining and made Wirt feel like he really could do it. He could go and have an adventure. He wouldn’t have to say goodbye to two of the first human friends he'd ever known. Dipper and Mabel were strong enough that he wouldn’t have to worry about his Pokémon becoming overwhelmed. He could go with them.

The part of him infatuated with Dipper didn’t hesitate, the yes resounding in his heart and head, but the part that knew nothing would come of it told him to stop being ridiculous. It would be fun at first, but wouldn’t it only hurt? To be so close to him, but unable to do anything about it. Already he was tangled up in Dipper, delighting in every moment spent together, purposefully trying to find ways to be around him or get him talking about anything. Everything. His voice was sweeter than the melodies of any Pokeflute, and this wasn’t helping his case. What could he do? What _should_ he do?

“I want to go…” he murmured, letting his own honesty show as he gazed at him. “I want to go with you, yeah. I just…” He hesitated, biting down on his lip.

“Don’t be scared.” Dipper hesitated a moment before lacing their fingers. “Mabel and I wouldn't let anything happen to you or your Pokemon. And if it’s about Greg, we'd both love it if he came too. It’s- I know it's up to your parents, but...” Dipper searched his gaze, wondering what exactly was holding him back. He wanted to solve whatever it was and get him to come with them.

Maybe, just maybe, with a little more time, Wirt might actually like him as more than a friend. It was a silly, selfish thing to hope for, but the early hour made it hard to be sensible. “I don't know, Wirt. It's your choice. But just know that I'd really, really love it if you came. I just- I want to know more about you. You’re pretty easy to talk to, y’know? You’re nice, and- and great. You deserve to be the kind of trainer who goes on an adventure, and I'd really like to be there with you.”

“You would?” It was hard to believe, but oh, Wirt desperately wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe someone like him could make a difference in the life of someone like Dipper. Determination solidified in his gut and he found himself nodding, caution thrown to the metaphorical wind. “Okay. Okay, I’m- I’ll go with you. I’m going with you. Greg, too. We’d- _I’d_ really love to be there with you.”

“Dude!” Dipper laughed, giving his hand a squeeze. “That's- alright! No changing your mind in the morning, okay? Yes means yes. Ty, did you hear that?”

The Eevee trilled happily before lowering her chin to the blankets, her nose very lightly touching Ve’s. Dipper smiled at them, then back at Wirt. “See? Even she's excited. Thanks, man. Seriously. I'm not even dreading tomorrow anymore, and I know Mabel’s gonna flip.”

“You were dreading tomorrow?” Wirt couldn’t stop smiling, drawing on Dipper’s excitement, as well as that of their Pokemon, and left his hand in the trainer’s. “Come on, even with the gym battle to look forward to? Not to mention getting back on the road again.”

“Okay, I've been looking forward to facing your mom in the gym. But it's been... Like, yeah, going out is fun. And I like-” He liked feeling as though he was doing something important. “The past few days have been really great. It’s been nice just being around all of you, and going back to it just being me and Mabel kind of felt... lonely.”

“Yeah, I… I know what you mean.”

Somehow the spare room had gone from feeling like the spare room to being “Dipper and Mabel’s room,” and Wirt knew he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t looking forward to its inevitable emptiness. Or worse, having people who weren’t Dipper or Mabel staying instead. The awkwardness of facing strangers after developing a friendship that already felt so strong definitely filled Wirt with a loneliness that he’d been trying to ignore. He’d felt it before Dipper and Mabel, sure, but he hadn’t known what he was missing before then.

“Yes means yes,” he echoed, smile softening. “No feeling lonely.”

“For either of us.” Tyrone chirped, and Dipper grinned. “Any of us.”

\----

It took the two of them a while to fall back to sleep, each of them giddy at the idea of staying together. But both were on the practical side, Dipper particularly prone to planning, so they'd spent some of their time vacillating between excited ramblings of potential and the sensibility of what to pack and what they would actually be doing. Both preferred dwelling on the possibilities, though kept certain hopes away from the other for fear of rejection and ridicule.

Hope still swelled, the feeling easy as two became three and three melted into a timelessness trapped between dozing and wakefulness that they eventually succumbed to. In the dim lighting of a flashlight, hands still touching, they dreamt of the sweeter possibilities they hoped for.

Until the inevitable rude awakening, courtesy of their respective siblings. With far too little sleep behind him, Dipper was shocked awake by a stream of water that was quickly followed by Tyrone's distressed squeaks as she, too, had ended up in the path of a Poliwag’s water gun. “Oh my _god_ , that’s cold! Why is it _cold?”_

“I stuck Friedrich in the fridge before bringing him in here,” Greg explained with a sunny smile. “Good morning!”

“Good morning!” Mabel echoed, giggling at them. “Breakfast is finished, so we had to come get you.”

When Tyrone darted behind him, Dipper sighed. “Come on, girl. Let's just get you dried off. You'll be fine.”

Ve made a whimpering noise while Ribbon scrubbed at her face with her paws, both huddled against Wirt whose mind was still trying to catch up with his body’s sudden jolt into waking. “Mmhm. Yeah, right that’s- dry. Good- good idea. Ugh.” Hair sticking up every which way, Wirt fumbled to sleepily pat it down while also trying to stroke Ve’s back to soothe her. His Eevee shook herself out, flicking droplets of water onto him and Dipper again and Greg giggled when his older brother puffed his cheeks out.

“Oh my gosh.” Mabel laughed, taking a step back to evade any stray droplets herself. Though her twin had lifted an arm to block what he could, his gaze was still very much on Wirt.

When Ribbon stopped shaking, he drew Tyrone into his lap. “You’re not even close to being a morning person, are you?”

“Uh-huh. Yeah.” Wirt grabbed Ribbon around the middle with one arm, his free hand rubbing his eye in an attempt to make himself more coherent. “Wait, sorry, what was the question?”

“Wirt’s the worst morning person ever!” Greg declared with a bright smile. “I usually jump on him, but that upsets Ve and Ribbon, and now I have Friedrich so I can just spray him with water!”

“Which also upsets Ve and Ribbon,” Wirt pointed out. “And I’m not the worst morning person, I’m just… not the best. That’s completely different.”

“It’s kinda obvious. And kinda cute, huh, Dipper?”

His gaze darted to his twin, mortified. “I- Shut up, Mabel. It’s too early for this, and Ty’s freaking out. You know how she is with water.”

“I know, but - to be fair - I didn’t see her before - What's his name this morning? Friedrich? I didn't see her before Friedrich sprayed you. She's normally on your pillow.”

“Yeah, well... that's not where she wanted to be last night.”

“How come you guys are on the floor anyway?” Greg asked. “Were you having a secret sleepover without telling us?”

“Uh… well, sort of?” Wirt reached over to scratch behind one of Ty’s ears. “Ve and Ty wanted one, and we couldn’t exactly refuse.”

“Yeah.”

“I told you she wouldn't want to leave, bro-bro.”

“I know, I know.” While Tyrone purred at the attention, Dipper shrugged and glanced at Wirt. One thing they hadn't gone over was how to tell their siblings. “She doesn't want to leave without Ve anyway.” Ears twitching, the Eevee climbed out of his lap to press against the Vulpix to borrow some of her warmth.

“Yeah and Ve… Ve doesn’t want her to go.” Wirt watched their Pokemon snuggle for a moment, the Vulpix trilling happily now despite having been drenched minutes before, the water evaporating from her fur, then Wirt flicked his gaze to Dipper, a small smile pulling at his lips.

Dipper laughed knocking their shoulders together. “Since we don’t want our Pokemon to be upset, Wirt and I kind of came up with a solution.” He grinned at Greg, his twin just barely biting back her excitement as she figured out where this was going. “How do you feel about coming with us on a Pokemon adventure, Greg?”

Greg’s jaw dropped, eyes going as round as saucers as he stared at Dipper. “It’s only what I’ve been dreaming of doing my whole life!”

“Greg, you haven’t known them your whole life.”

“My whole life!” The boy waved his arms in the air as he repeated himself.

“We still have to ask your parents, but Mabel and I want you guys to come with us. Y’know, current wetness aside.”

“This is so exciting!” Mabel cheered. “I can’t believe you finally asked him, Dipper!”

“Well, it was... kind of an accident.” He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing down at their Pokemon. Tyrone playfully bumped her nose to Ve’s before running behind Wirt. “But he said yes.”

“What? Really?” Greg bounced where he stood, then ran at Wirt and barrelled into his brother for a hug. “You said yes? We can go with them?”

A laugh escaped Wirt as he caught him, Ribbon bounding out of the way over to Olive to give Greg room to do as he liked. “Yeah. Yeah, we can. Um. As long as Mom and Jonathan say yes, though, like Dipper said.”

Greg leapt from his arms. “I’m gonna ask them right now!” Scooping up his Poliwag, he turned and bolted from the room. “Mom! Mom! Guess what!”

“Wha- Greg, wait! You gotta- uh- you have to ease them into the idea first! Greg!” Wirt scrambled to untangle himself from the blankets so he could stand, but his leg remained caught when he hurried to stand and fell gracelessly. “Oh my gosh. Somebody stop him. Olive?” The Gloom waved her arm and toddled out of the room after the younger boy.

Giggling, Mabel skipped after Olive. “Greg, wait! We’ll bribe them with breakfast first!”

Dipper shook his head and untangled himself before rising, offering a hand to help Wirt up. “So that went well.”

“Well, Greg wasn’t really the one I was worried about telling.” Wirt cleared his throat, cheeks warming as he felt like an utter fool, but placed his hand in Dipper’s nonetheless and felt his heart flutter as he stood more carefully. “But, uh… guess step one is complete? Now it’s just step two. Convince parents. No problem. We… we got this.”

“Like Mabel said, we'll bribe them with breakfast.” He wanted to leave his hand in Wirt’s, but it was so much harder to do now that morning had come. With a small squeeze, Dipper released him and swept his Eevee into his arms instead. “But first, I'm gonna get dressed and make sure me and Ty are dried off.”

Wirt blinked, then glanced down at himself. “Right. Probably not the best idea to do something like this in pajamas.” He smiled sheepishly as he raked his fingers through his hair, gaze unable to help roving over Dipper.

So far he’d always been dressed by the time Wirt saw him in the morning, and though he was wearing a shirt and shorts that covered a modest amount, it was still different. Good different. He had nice legs, Wirt discovered as he bit his lip, probably from all the walking he surely did on his journey. Oh, who was he kidding? He had nice everything, and not just physically. His crush went beyond that. Way beyond that.

“Um, so uh, drying off and changing. See you in a few minutes then?”

“Yeah, man. You want help packing stuff after we get them to say yes? Because they have to. Seriously.” He closed an eye when Ty swatted at a damp curl, letting out a laugh. “Stop it.”

Wirt chuckled softly himself, his Pokemon rubbing against his legs for attention, too. “Sure. Yeah, that would be great. I don’t want to take time away from you getting ready to face Mom though, so it’s cool if you don’t,” he replied as he scooped up Ve in one arm and Ribbon in the other. He quickly discovered they just wanted to be at eye level with Tyrone.

“No, it’s fine. Even if I do manage to grab a water type today, I'm not going to use it in a gym battle first day I get it. That's a disadvantage and just kind of mean to the Pokemon. Ty and Nido have it covered.” He nudged a little lump still beneath the blankets. It moved, a very sleepy-eyed Nidoran poking his head out. “Nido, you ready to take on a gym?” The Pokemon bleated, front feet pounding the floor, then he retreated back under the blankets to return to sleep. “There, see? We're ready.”

Wirt grinned. “Fair enough.”

As it turned out, though, Wirt and Greg were ready, too. Their bags were already sitting out on each of their chairs at the table, packed full of what Jonathan considered to be the essentials for adventuring. Wirt simply gaped at them while Greg immediately grabbed his back with a cheer.

“And I didn’t even have to ask them!” he told the three teens proudly. “Mom and Dad are psychic types!”

“Not quite, honey. We’re just parents that happen to know their kids pretty well,” Amy replied with a chuckle, “and we know how much you would miss Dipper and Mabel once they were gone.”

“Though you’re always welcome to stop by if you’re ever in the area.” Jon winked at the twins. “We’ve really enjoyed having you here.”

“Jon, you’re making it sound like we’re kicking them out right now. Sit down and have some breakfast,” she addressed Dipper and Mabel, then her sons, “There are some ground rules I want to go over with you before we head over to the gym, but other than that, I trust that you boys will take care of each other and stay safe.”

“And call your mother twice a day.” Jon grinned when she cast him a look.

“Twice a week to check in will be just fine, and then of course whenever you have questions or things to tell us. We understand that you’ll be busy and want you to take in the region and enjoy yourselves.”

Wirt just blinked dumbly at them. “I… okay? You’re really- you’re really just letting us go?” He’d honestly expected it to be a little more of a challenge than this.

“We really are.” Amy smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair. “Everyone should have the opportunity to have an adventure, sweetie, and I think this is yours. I know that between the four of you and your Pokemon, you’ll have the best time.”

“This is the best day!” Mabel cheered. “We’re gonna have so much fun and visit all the towns and catch a ton of Pokemon and meet a billion people and-”

“She did this when we left home in the first place.” Dipper grinned, bumping his hip to Wirt’s. Tyrone hopped up on the chair with Wirt’s bag, perching atop it with a pleased trill as if it was hers. “But this is- wow. This is seriously the best.”

“It’s… it’s really happening, isn’t it?” Wirt breathed, staring at Dipper wide-eyed and stunned. “Oh my gosh.”

“Let’s go! Let’s go right now!” Greg grabbed Mabel’s hand and tugged her towards the door. “I want to do all those things!”

Their mother clucked, snagging the collar of his shirt. “Breakfast first, Gregory. Sit down for at least five minutes before racing off. You’ll have plenty of time to do that later.”

“Okay, Mom. You drive a hard bargain, but I can accept that,” he replied.

Mabel dropped down into a chair, grinning. “We still need to go back to the woods. We got that fishing pole from that weird fisherman yesterday, so we _have_ to try it. And we still need to kick your butt in a gym battle, Amy!”

“You just want to make that rainbow with their badges,” Dipper pointed out.

“I so want to make a rainbow. It’s happening.”

With a snort, he dropped into his own chair and smiled big and bright when he looked back at Wirt. No more being lonely. “So after that, we’ll go. Together.”

“Together,” Wirt echoed in agreement, unable to help matching Dipper’s smile as he went to his chair, coaxing Tyrone into her trainer’s lap so he could move his bag from it. The second he sat down though, he found his lap filled with his own Pokemon, their ears perked with anticipation with Ve batting at Ty with her paw as her tail gave a little wiggle. His mom was right, with their Pokemon, they really would have an amazing time. Sure he was nervous and wary and completely smitten with the boy beside him, but it would be worth it. Together, anything could be.

\----

“Are you sure the fishing rod’s not broken?” Greg asked when half an hour had passed with not even a nibble to the line.

“It's just because Dipper’s using it,” Mabel teased.

Her twin huffed, giving Tyrone a pat when she yawned. “Thanks.”

Wirt laughed, leaning back in the grass with Olive resting against his side. “Fishing takes time, Greg. You don’t always catch something right away.”

“I bet me and Gilkes Calpine could catch something faster with a stick and a string. I think the crazy old guy was nuts when he said this old rod would work.” Greg mimicked Dipper and gave his Poliwag a pat even though the little Pokemon didn’t yawn.

“Maybe it being old is the problem.” Dipper shrugged, reeling the line in. The bait they'd set remained frustratingly untouched. “We'll give it a few more minutes and then move on. We've still got a gym to challenge.”

“Yeah, we do! It’s gonna be great. Are you guys walking through with us or are you going to wait at the end?”

“Walk through!” Greg declared while Wirt replied at the same time, “We don’t want to get in your way or anything.” They glanced at each other before Wirt continued, “I mean, if you want us to, then sure.”

Dipper shook his head. “You wouldn't be in the way. I mean, what are you gonna do when we get to the other gyms? I know you're not really planning on going for badges.”

“It'll be fun to show you how we really battle and not just for fun,” Mabel added, debating releasing one of her Pokemon for a total of two seconds before letting Waddles out. The Tepig snuggled in her lap, pleased to see no battles to be fought for the moment.

“Will you give ‘em the ol’ kickeroo?” Greg punched at the air. “I bet it’ll be the best battles ever! Who decides who goes first?”

“We usually battle the gym trainers together, and then I usually go first against the leader.”

“She’s impatient. Against Jonathan, she-” Dipper jolted when the line pulled taut. Tyrone jumped up, ready to hide from the water splashing. “Ty, come on, we talked about this.” Her ears flopped, but she shifted her stance, ready to jump up and swat whatever it was.

“Come on, Dipper! You can probably catch it!” Mabel cheered.

Olive wandered over to watch closer, hiding behind Dipper, and Wirt sat up a bit. He glanced Dipper’s way and flashed him an encouraging smile. “I bet you can,” he added.

Dipper bit his lip, but the encouragement boosted his confidence. He kept himself relatively still to keep from spooking Olive, the rod trapped between his thighs so he could grab a Net Ball with one hand while reeling with the other. “Alright, Ty, when it comes out, give it a good swat. It should be disoriented enough to-” He broke off on a gasp, the Pokemon bursting from the water with a splash big enough that Dipper flinched and couldn't make out what exactly had come out of the lake.

It could be a Goldeen or a Staryu, a Huntail or a Dratini. The amount of water types was endless, nearly every single one useful and likely capable of being able to use Surf efficiently for travel. And, whatever it was, it would be his. Maybe. Hopefully.

Heart racing, Dipper prepared to throw at a flash of orange. “Ty, go!”

Despite her distaste for water, Tyrone wiggled in place before making a leap. She bopped the Pokemon with her front paws, aiming for the land, and landed right on the water’s edge. She squeaked, scrambling back, and looked to Dipper to complain but his attention was on the wiggling Poke Ball.

It thrashed wildly, the Pokemon within not weakened but certainly surprised between being caught on a line, hit by an Eevee, and now locked in a small space. Soon, though, the rocking lessened and then stopped entirely. The release button glowed red briefly, and the Poke Ball and the Pokemon within settled. Dipper stared for a few more seconds, positive that it would still escape, but nothing happened. It stayed. He'd caught it. He'd captured it. Whatever it was, he'd captured a Pokemon on his own.

“Oh my god,” he breathed. “Oh my god, I caught a Pokemon!”

“Oh boy! What is it? What did you catch, Dipper? I didn’t see,” Greg babbled, hurrying over to get a better look.

Wirt was beaming at him, drawing Tyrone close to dry her off and give her the attention she clearly wanted. “Whatever it is, they’re yours. That was incredible, Dipper. You too, Ty.” He scratched just under her chin.

“I- I don't know. I didn't see it either.” Dipper grinned at Greg, then at Wirt and Ty. Since she'd started to purr, he turned his attention to the new edition to his team. He retrieved his Pokedex, and let it sync to the Ball. “Oh. Oh, no. You're _kidding_ me. No.”

Mabel peered over his shoulder, checking the display. When her small snort was met with a glare, she dissolved into giggles. “You- Oh my gosh. You wasted a Net Ball on a- on a-” She couldn't even say it, laughter overtaking her.

“On a what?” Greg wriggled between the two of them to take a look, Wirt joining him on Dipper’s other side, curiosity piqued.

“Oh…”

“He looks real friendly!” Greg praised. “I think you caught a real good one, Dipper.”

Wirt pursed his lips as he looked to his younger brother, the words honest enough coming from the six-year-old, then flicked his gaze back to the Magikarp on the Pokedex display. “They’re a good level, it looks like,” he offered, shoulders hunching a bit. “For this area, you know? And it’s still impressive that Ty didn’t make them faint.”

Greg nodded, hands on his hips. “You did good, Dipper.”

Level thirteen. What Magikarp reached thirteen and still only knew splash? But of _course_ it would be a Magikarp. That dumb plan would only work on something that useless. Dipper quietly glared at the Poke Ball, frustrated with himself. It really had been a waste of a Net Ball. “I should've waited to see what it was before I threw,” he muttered.

Mabel laid a hand on his shoulder, biting back her remaining laughter. She couldn't quite rid herself of the smile, though. “It's not the end of the world, bro-bro. You still caught your first Pokemon, and if Ty didn't knock him out, you know he's at least pretty strong. Those defense stats are high.”

“It doesn't even know tackle.”

“Neither does Gilkes.” Greg picked up his Poliwag, thrusting him into Dipper’s face as if he could tell just by looking at him. “And neither does Olive!”

Dipper started to explain that Olive and the Poliwag didn't need to know tackle. They knew other moves that were more effective than _splash_. Magikarp’s were small and useless and he just couldn't say that with Greg trying to encourage him. The kid really had no idea. “You're right, Greg.” He ruffled the boy's hair before giving the Poliwag a pat. “Thanks.”

“No problem, admiral. Everyone needs a little encouragement sometimes.” Greg’s serious expression melted into one of excitement. “Now you and me both have water type Pokemon! Just like Wirt and Mabel both have fire types. We should make a club.”

Dipper laughed, shrinking the Poke Ball to attach to his belt. “Sure. Any club with you is totally worth it, shortstop.”

“You could be the Splash Club,” Mabel suggested, Dipper giving her a bland stare. “Oh, don't be a brat, Dipdop. At least your Magikarp will evolve one day!”

Dipper ran his tongue over his teeth, considering the Gyarados this could result in. That was definitely a Pokemon with some use. “That's true. I'll hook up the experience share and it'll level up in no time.”

“Are you gonna give him a nickname?” Greg asked. “Like Ty and Nido have?”

“Uh. I don't know. Ty was easy to name, and Mabel named Nido so... hm.”

“Name him Splash!”

Dipper huffed. “No.”

Mabel pursed her lips, not willing to be put off so easily. “How... about... Scales?”

“Oh my god. If you’re going to think of bad ones, I may as well call him something like Finn.”

“Finn!” Mabel gasped, pressing her hands to her cheeks. “If you don't name him Finn, I'll confuse him and name him Finn despite you! It’s Finn. His name’s Finn.”

Dipper laughed. He hadn’t really been planning on going that route, but the mental image of a giant Gyarados named something as little as Finn was too funny to resist. “Fine. Yeah. That was easy.”

Wirt lips quirked up in a small, fond smile, relieved to find Dipper’s disappointment passing, even if it was understandable. Magikarp didn’t tend to be on most people’s list of must-catch Pokemon, but it was still the first Pokémon Dipper ever caught on his own. That did mean something. That made Finn special. “I like it. Finn’s a good name.”

“He’s gonna be a great member of the Splash Club,” Greg hummed.

“Yeah.” Maybe. Dipper sighed, tapping the Poke Ball holding the freshly caught Magikarp. Of all the things to catch, he really would've liked something more... impressive. His first captured Pokemon was one of the known weakest. He'd basically caught sushi. But he had a name now, and Dipper couldn’t be too angry at himself. Weak or not, it was his and deserved just as much attention as Tyrone and Nido. But it would do better in some water, so he would keep him in his Poke Ball for the time being.

“So,” Mabel started, drawing the syllable out as she rocked, “I don’t know about you guys, but I think we've done _plenty_ of fishing. We've got a gym to challenge and an adventure to begin!”

“Yeah!” Greg cheered. “You’re gonna take Mom’s Pokémon down! Oh, I can’t wait to see who she uses.”

“We should probably stop at the Pokemart in town and pick up some burn heals. Unless you have some already. Do you? Or full heal? And maybe stop by the house, too. Did you pick any rawst berries from the garden?” Wirt babbled, his Gloom patting his leg in an attempt to slow his rapid fire questioning. When he tried to wring his hands together, Tyrone climbed up to his shoulder and swatted at his hat to remind him of her existence.

Dipper grinned, shaking his head. “We've got some of all those, don't worry. She's not our first gym leader, man.”

“And this time I actually know something about what we're facing!” Mabel plucked up her Tepig, twirling him. “Fire types rule!” Waddles snorted happily.

Olive inched her way behind Wirt. “Grass types do, too. Just not against fire.” Wirt gave her a pat, smiling indulgently. “Well, if you guys think you’re ready to face Mom…”

“They were born ready, brother o’ mine. Let’s go!” Greg chirped.

The twins grinned. “Let's do this.”

“I'm so excited!” Mabel called Waddles back into his Poke Ball, and swept Greg up instead. “It's the start of our adventure, friend o’ mine, and it's going to be great!”

“All the same, we're stopping at the Pokemon Center in town just to make sure everyone's ready.” At Mabel’s noncommittal response, her attention on Greg and his Poliwag, Dipper shook his head. He held his hands out so Tyrone could jump into his arms, and looked at Wirt, smile tilting towards shy. “So... you don't think it's totally lame that I caught a Magikarp?”

Wirt shook his head as he took Olive’s hand. “Hey, Magikarp or not, it’s your first Pokémon and you definitely get to be proud of that. It’d be totally lame if you… I don’t know… tossed him back or something. Not that you seem like the kind of person who would, but you know what I mean. I think.”

“No, I get it.” Throwing the Pokemon back hadn’t even been a thought, no matter how embarrassing it was. “But, yeah, a Magikarp isn't even close to what I was hoping for, but he's still mine. I named him.” Dipper shrugged, following their siblings. “At the Pokemon Center, I'll let him out and actually say hi.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to see what kind of temperament he has. That’s always interesting to learn as your bond develops,” Wirt mused with a smile, curiosity piqued. “But, um, not that I don’t know that Magikarp’s not most people’s first choice, but… what kind of Pokémon were you hoping for?”

“Kind of anything but a Magikarp?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Nothing really specific, but I guess I was hoping for a dual type. Plain water has so many disadvantages, and a normal Magikarp has more than any of them.” Once Tyrone climbed to his shoulder, Dipper tapped Finn’s Poke Ball. “But... it's okay. If I can train a Nidoran and an Eevee to be as effective as they are, I can train this. It's just a little different.” And a lot disappointing. He still couldn't believe the thing hadn't learned tackle. How had it even survived to level thirteen?

“If anyone can handle it, it’s you.” Wirt smiled as he laid a hand on the shoulder Ty hadn’t claimed. “You’re a really good trainer. Finn will be the best Magikarp out there. I’m sure of it.”

“Oh.” Cheeks coloring, Dipper ducked his head. “Thanks, man. Let's, uh... We’re falling behind. Come on.” He lifted a hand to Wirt’s, giving it a squeeze. “Mabel, wait up!”

“Walk faster!”

\----

The Pokemon Center in Focoso Town looked the same as the others they'd stopped at thus far. The nurse behind the counter was cheerful when she gathered their Poke Balls and accommodating when Tyrone turned up her nose at the idea of going into hers. She was also more than willing to let them be alone with the Magikarp in a back room after the initial examination.

Dipper rolled the Ball between his hands, biting his lip. What if it didn't like him? What if it didn't respond to training? What if it didn't want to be caught at all? Dipper would never keep a Pokemon that didn't want to be kept, but it would be completely awful to not only catch a Magikarp but have to let it go. Let go the first Pokemon he'd ever caught.

Mabel punched his side. “Dipper, let him out!”

Tyrone chirped, just as interested in meeting this new member of their team. Nido would meet him next time, the Pokemon bursting to battle. It was better to leave him away until they reached the gym. “Okay, okay. Come on out, Finn.” He'd input the name into his Pokedex, and it hadn't been rejected. It was a good sign, but hardly soothed his nerves.

In a beam of red, the Pokemon appeared in a small tub of water setup for it so the thing wouldn’t be reduced to flopping about on the floor. The orange fish Pokemon was big for a Magikarp, it's mouth open wide in a permanently surprised expression.

“Aw. He looks like a big dork. Perfect for you, Dipdop!”

He glared at her, not halting her giggles at all. “Wow, Mabel. Wow.”

“I like his mustache,” Greg complimented with a giggle.

Wirt snorted softly, but reached out to stroke lightly along the Pokemon’s scales. “Hi, Finn.”

Finn wiggled, creating small waves in the tank, and Dipper moved closer. He hesitated a moment before reaching out, glancing Wirt’s way before gently running his fingers down its back. The scales were smooth to the touch, water streaming off his rounded body rather than clinging. “He doesn't feel as slimy as I thought he would.”

“He’s nice and smooth.” Wirt smiled at him, drawing his hand back so Dipper could pet more freely. “He seems friendly. I think he likes being pet.”

“Yeah. Um. Hi, Finn.” The Magikarp blew bubbles in the water, fins flapping. Dipper couldn’t help the grin, Tyrone chirping. Finn gurgled in response, and the Eevee’s tail wagged.

“What do you think he’s saying?” Greg wondered, gazing wide-eyed at the fish Pokemon.

“He’s probably just saying hi. Maybe making sure Ty won’t tackle him again,” Wirt chuckled, smile brightening at Dipper’s full-blown grin.

“Probably. No worries unless you splash her, Finn.” The Pokemon blubbed before making a circle.

“Aw, I like him! He seems really happy to have a trainer.” When he made another circle, Mabel dipped her fingers into the water to stroke him as he went by. “He feels neat. You want to pet him, Greg?”

“Oh boy, can I?” Greg looked from Mabel to Wirt, who gave a cautious nod, before pressing closer and giving the Magikarp a good stroke. “He’s so cool! I bet he and Greg Jr. will be best friends. Here!” He placed his Poliwag in the water with Finn. “Water Pokemon unite!” The Poliwag chirped and bobbed in the water as it gazed curiously at the Magikarp.

Fins flapping wildly in its excitement, Finn accidentally rolled himself upside-down. “Oh my god.” Dipper laughed, reaching into the tank to right his Pokemon. “You really are a dork, aren't you?” He rocked in the water, wiggling in Dipper’s hold as if to get all the attention he could. “Okay, okay. So... you want to be on my team, Finn?”

The big eyes blinked twice and the Magikarp began to bounce in the water, creating waves for the Poliwag to ride. He splashed some of it out of the tank, Tyrone squeaking in fright and leaping from Dipper's shoulder to Wirt's arms for dry safety.

Wirt chuckled, keeping her well out of the splash zone. “I’m thinking that’s a yes.”

“Of course. It’s the best team!”

Dipper ruffled Greg’s hair. “It’s a small team anyway, but it just got a little bigger.”

Mabel jumped with a small cheer. “It took you a while, but your team’s finally half full, bro-bro! You'll have six whole Pokemon in no time!”

He huffed. “I'll have six badges before I have six Pokemon.”

“Speaking of which...”

“Oh my god, Mabel.” Dipper pet his Magikarp, shaking his head. “Get used to this, Finn. She's crazy.”

“Brat,” she laughed. “I want my rainbow!”

“And I want to start our adventure!” Greg chimed in, placing his hands on hips as he grinned. “And see if you guys can take down our mom.”

“Oh, we can definitely take down your mom.” Dipper plucked up Finn’s Poke Ball. “Are you okay coming back? We'll try and find a pond or something tonight and let you out again then.” Finn pressed himself closer to the edge of the tank, lifting up and splashing back down. “I'll take that as a yes. Just give me one second.”

He dug in his back for a small box, popping it open. Four tiny squares were laid inside and he picked one up. The Net Ball was opened and the little square was placed on the roof. “This is going to help you get stronger, okay? You'll get experience even if you're not in a battle. That way you can level up without getting hurt.” Another splash let him know it was okay, so he smiled and returned Finn to his Poke Ball.

“Whoa, does that really work?” Greg asked, standing on his tiptoes to try and see if there was anything different about the Poke Ball now that the experience was attached to it. “I need to get one!”

“Greg, you only have one Pokemon,” Wirt pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“Not true, brother o’ mine. You forgot about Heggtor. When he hatches, then he’ll be two Pokemon!” Greg tried to reach behind him to pat his rucksack where the egg was nestled in among his clothing and other travelling necessities.

“Oh. Of course. How could I forget about Heggtor,” Wirt replied dryly.

Dipper laughed. “Of course it works. It basically goes off the same properties as using a potion or medicine through a Poke Ball. I do have an extra, though. Maybe we can let Wirt have it. At least until Heggtor hatches.” He smiled at Wirt. “If you want it anyway.”

Wirt blinked, absently stroking Tyrone’s back. “O-oh. Um. I wouldn’t want you to waste it on me. I mean, I don’t do much battling, I’m not sure what- what good it would do.”

“But think how strong Olive or Ve or Ribbon could get if you gave it to one of them and then battled with a different one. Sharing is caring.” Greg pulled his Poliwag from the basin of water and tucked him under one arm so he could give Olive a pat. “I bet you’d like it, huh Olive? You don’t like battling.”

Lips twisting to one side, Wirt observed his Gloom for a moment. She didn’t like battling, but part of him wondered if it was because she knew her trainer’s distaste for it. Was it her timid nature that caused her to shy away from battling and leveling up, or was it conditioned in her because her trainer wasn’t any good at guiding her attacks?

“No, she doesn’t. So I don’t even know if sharing experience is something she’d need or want.” Wirt’s brow furrowed when she looked at him and gave a little shrug as she cooed. It wasn’t much of an answer on her part. “I… I dunno.”

“No pressure, man. It's not like you _have_ to take it.” Dipper tucked his hands in his pockets. “It's there if you change your mind, though.”

“You might change it once we're out. We run into wild Pokemon a lot and can't always run from them, so you'll be doing some battling,” Mabel pointed out.

“Not with us there. It's fine.”

“Yeah… right.” Wirt glanced down at Tyrone, scratching lightly behind her ear before handing her back to Dipper. “C’mon. We’ve got your gym battle to be focusing on. Not my hypothetical ones.”

“Yes! Come on, come on!” Mabel swept Greg up, twirling him excitedly before charging out ahead.

“Eventually, we're going to be ready for that and won't be left behind.” Dipper grinned, letting Tyrone perch on his shoulder, and he and Wirt followed them out.


	4. Sun Badge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh. We're sorry? And we swear this fic isn't dead. Just went on a hiatus while we worked on a few other projects and, well, the update schedule is going to be sporadic. But there will be updates!

Focoso Town’s gym had a classic, old library type feel to it. It always made Wirt a little nervous that so many old books and tomes of literature were so close to powerful, fire-type Pokemon. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls and created a maze-like labyrinth of a library, candles illuminating the path. There were candles mounted on the walls as well and ornate, Neoclassical chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. For a town that was as fast-paced and fiery as it was, the gym didn’t reflect that nature in the slightest. 

Once inside, Mabel wanted to look at every single decoration. As interested in the books as he was, Dipper and Tyrone were both just ready to battle. The two short columns on either side of the greeter only held a small amount of names, and he wanted to be among them. “We've got this, Ty. You, Nido, and me. Finn’s our cheerleader this round. You ready?” She chirped, rubbing her head against his cheek. “Atta girl.”

“This is gonna be great!” Mabel linked arms with Wirt, beaming. “Are you excited? I'm excited.”

He laughed, letting them stay connected. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m excited,” he admitted, even though he’d seen dozens of battles in his mom’s gym over the years and knew all its tricks.

The twins both grinned at him and Dipper swung Greg up onto his shoulders in an impulsive move. “So am I. Let's go.”

They bypassed the greeter, the half-brothers waving in passing. Normally, the twins would stop and chat but it wasn't necessary this time. They knew what they were facing and were ready for fire types.

They didn’t get very far though. After the first turn through the shelves, they found the path to be blocked. Three unlit candles were mounted on the shelf before them, one light blue with the symbol for water types on it, one dark blue with the dragon type symbol, and one beige with the ground type symbol. A single glowing white one had an inscription written beneath it. _Order is important to a successful library. Water, Dragon, Ground. Order these now from least to most. Fire’s weaknesses._

“This is officially my favorite gym,” Dipper decided.

Mabel giggled. “Because you’re a huge dork.”

He shoved her playfully, but picked up the candle. 

“I know the answer!” Greg chirped. “I know all the answers.”

“Don’t give anything away.” Wirt ruffled his younger brother’s hair.

The boy scoffed at the mere idea. “I’d never. I don’t want to ruin Dipper and Mabel’s fun.”

“What is it? Ground, dragon, water?”

“Mm...” Dipper hummed, lighting dark blue candle first. “It’s close with the first two, but dragon, ground, water. And, y’know, of course we don’t have any of those. Technically.”

When all three candles were lit in the order Dipper listed, a click sounded and the bookshelf slid into the wall to reveal the path. Along with it, however, was a trainer. 

“Hi, Old Lady Daniels!” Greg waved, grinning brightly at the elderly woman before them.

“Well, hello there, Gregory! Your mother said you might be stopping by today.” She winked at him before smiling Wirt’s way. “You too, Wirt. You boys don’t visit nearly often enough.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Daniels.” Wirt’s answering smile was sheepish.

“You best be.” She wagged her finger at him, then glanced between the twins. “Well now. I’m afraid I can’t let you pass until you’ve had a proper battle with me. Amelia has high expectations for the two of you, so I’m interested to see how this goes. Which one of you would like to go first?”

They exchanged glances, grinning, and Dipper set Greg back onto the floor. “If you've got two Pokemon, we like to do double battles with gym trainers.”

“Please,” Mabel tacked on.

“Interesting. I like it though. Alright, a double battle it is.” Mrs. Daniels nodded to herself, reaching into her apron pocket for two Poke Balls. “I will use Magcargo and Growlithe for this battle.” She summoned the puppy Pokemon and the molten, slug-like Pokemon to the field.

“Alright, Nido, let’s go.” Dipper tossed the Poke Ball, his Nidoran letting out a triumphant sound when he appeared.

“Glaceon for me!” Giggling, Mabel sent out the ice Pokemon. She shook herself, blue fur puffing out in preparation. “Freeze them both with your icy wind!” The Pokemon shook herself again before blowing out a breath that covered both opponents, coating them in ice. It clearly affected the Growlithe more, so Dipper was quick to get the other just as off guard.

“Nido, poison jab at Magcargo. Get it good.” With a bellow, the Nidoran ran at the slug-like Pokemon and pelted her with his horn, poisoning her in the process, and quickly darted back to stand in front of Dipper.

The effects of the icy wind wore off both Pokemon fairly quickly, even the Growlithe as her internal body temperature melted it from her fur. “Growlithe, agility,” Mrs. Daniels directed the pup. Growlithe relaxed the muscles in her body, making herself light and limber to raise her speed stats. 

“Maggie,” she addressed Magcargo next. “Use rock tomb on Nidoran.”

Though the Pokemon was affected by the poison, being part rock type allowed her to recover from the initial jab fairly quickly. The effect remained, however, and the poison did sap some of Magcargo’s health as she conjured boulders from the ground. They rose up as the Pokemon’s eyes glowed gold, then were tossed Nido’s way. The accuracy wasn’t perfect, not all of the boulders managing to hit their mark, but a few grazed him and one knocked him back a bit.

He bellowed and Dipper crouched down to be more at the Pokemon’s level. “Don’t worry, Nido, you’re doing fine.”

“Glaceon, hit Growlithe with ice fang!” Her mouth opened, fangs glowing blue as she charged the dog-like Pokemon. When it dodged, she countered and still managed to strike it with icy blue bolts.

“I know it’s been a while,” Dipper decided, “but throw down some poison spikes.” The tip of his horn glowed, spikes spitting from it to scatter dangerously close to the opposing Pokemon.

“Evade the spikes and quick attack!” Mabel added and the move’s effect allowed her Glaceon to go again, knocking the Growlithe away with a hard motion akin to a tackle, and it stepped right on spikes. Both of Mrs. Daniels’s Pokemon were poisoned, sapping their health with each turn.

“Fire fang to Glaceon, Growlithe,” the older woman commanded as she offered Magcargo a pecha berry during her turn to relieve at least one of her Pokemon of their poison. The Growlithe took her turn to open her mouth, flames bursting from her canines as she darted for the ice type, but even with her added speed, she couldn’t keep up with Glaceon.

Wirt breathed out a sigh of relief, shoulders sagging when the flames died down, the attack effectively missing. Glaceon and Growlithe weren’t that far apart in level, and the type weakness of ice to fire pretty much made up for whatever advantage being stronger had. He didn’t want to see what would happen if a fire attack did hit her. Or a ground attack to Nido. He didn’t know what level Dipper’s Pokemon were at, but assumed that the Nidoran mirrored Mabel’s since they were caught together. While that did leave a safe cushion between him and the Magcargo, Nido would still have a tough time taking down a type he wasn’t very effective with. 

Clutching the fabric of his shirt over his heart, he didn’t even want to think about how his nerves were going to handle the fight against his mom. Especially if Mabel decided to use Glaceon and Lily. He wouldn’t be able to watch if she did.

“Go, Nido! Go, Glaceon!” Greg cheered on, pumped with the excitement of a real battle.

Mabel laughed. “Thanks, Greg! Glaceon, give Nido a helping hand!”

Glaceon spun towards the Nidoran, hopping up and calling out. Nido bleated in response, pumped up and encouraged enough to increase its attack. Dipper’s lips curved. They needed to get rid of the Magcargo. “Nido, it’s another old move, but can you go with rock smash? You know who.” With a bellow, its horn glowed again. Rather than spikes, it lifted rocks from the ground and pelted the Magcargo until her head dipped, eyes closing in a faint.

“Woo!” Mabel cheered, jumping up in excitement. “One down!”

Wirt gaped at the fallen Pokemon just before Mrs. Daniels called her back into her Poke Ball. Sure, she’d been poisoned for a bit, but she’d gone down just like that. He stared at Nido, rethinking just how strong that little guy was. 

“Growlithe, use flame burst on Nidoran.” Growlithe barked, weaving a little unsteadily from the poison before shaking it off and opened her mouth. She shot a burst of fire at Nido, the flames big enough to affect Glaceon as well, though not to the same degree.

Glaceon weaved a bit, but Mabel called out encouragingly, “It’s okay, Glaceon! We can do this! Use blizzard!”

Dipper’s mind whirled quickly while a wild wind whipped up - Growlithe’s were most weak against ground, rock, and water. Had he ever taught Nido any moves that- _duh_! “Dig!” Nido leapt up and went right through the floor, using its horn to dig into the dirt and avoid the freezing winds and snow Glaceon surrounded the Growlithe with.

Growlithe shuddered, her visibility and speed definitely affected, but it did little damage otherwise. “Flame wheel to Glaceon, Growlithe. Hang in there.” The puppy Pokemon cloaked herself in fire, cutting through the icy wind, and charged.

“Oh my gosh.” Wirt covered his eyes with his hand.

Greg grabbed his other one. “Don’t worry, Wirt. Glaceon’s got this!”

“Blow it off course with another blizzard!” Mabel called, Glaceon quickly dodging and whipping up another storm. The moment the flames around it dissipated, Nido burst out beneath it and sent the Growlithe flying skyward with a solid hit.

The Growlithe crumpled to the ground, her attempts to get back up fruitless as she fainted away. “It’s alright, girl. You deserve a good rest.” Mrs. Daniels called back the Pokemon into her ball, grinning at the twins. “Well, I must say, that’s the first time I’ve ever been beaten by an ice and poison type. You two must really be something. And you’ve got to be to look after these two.” She gestured to Wirt and Greg, the latter beaming while the former cringed and flushed, arms folding across his chest. “Good luck making it through the rest of the gym.” She stepped aside into a little nook to allow them passage.

Dipper grinned, giving Nido’s back a firm rub. “Thanks, Mrs. Daniels. We’ll do our best to look after them.”

“Your Growlithe is super cute! I’ve never seen one before, and I just loved her.” Mabel giggled, giving Glaceon an oran berry to improve her health before calling her back into her Poke Ball. “Come on, boys! We’ve got more trainers to defeat!”

“If you let Lily out in the _fire gym_ , I’ll take her away from you,” Dipper warned, returning Nido to his ball so they could continue. “I can’t believe you used Glaceon.”

“She wanted free, Dipdop. Calm-” She squealed suddenly, holding up one of her Poke Balls. “Espurr leveled up!”

“Don’t use her either.”

“Shush.” She whirled to Greg, beaming. “What’d you think?! We’re pretty great, huh? Yeah, we’re totally great.”

“Yeah, you are! That was the best battle I’ve ever seen!” Greg latched onto her hand, bouncing up on the balls of his feet, his Poliwag bouncing beside him. “You guys are the best! Even if you almost gave Wirt a heart attack, but that’s not very hard to do.”

“I did not almost have a heart attack,” he denied, cheeks puffed out when Greg giggled at him. “I was just… mildly concerned. That’s all.”

Mabel giggled at him, swinging Greg’s arm. “It’s okay, Wirt. Heart attack’s are to be expected when facing this much awesome.”

Dipper rolled his eyes, giving Tyrone a pat when she butted his cheek for attention. “He probably would’ve been a little better if you hadn’t used an ice Pokemon against two fire types. Seriously, Mabel.”

“Fine, I won’t use her again. She likes to battle, though.”

“Save her. Her defense is too low to go against something she’s weak against anyway. No matter what her speed is. That fire fang would’ve been bad and you know it.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Come on, Greg. Let’s see what’s next!”

Dipper huffed while she skipped off with the little boy in tow, scratching Tyrone’s belly when she wriggled into his arms and rolled over. “She never listens.”

Wirt smiled weakly. “Well, if it’s any consolation, neither does Greg. I think it just might be a sibling thing.” He gave Olive a pat, then waved to Mrs. Daniels as they passed by her and continued further into the maze. 

Despite being filled with fire type Pokemon, and he with his timid grass type, Wirt had always felt comfortable in his mother’s gym, surrounded by books and the soothing candlelight. One might even call it romantic with the way the flames flickered and danced and cast shadows along the corridors of book shelves. Especially when walking beside a cute boy while their siblings rushed on ahead. Wirt swallowed, tempted to shamelessly stare at the way the glow of the fire caressed Dipper’s skin and brightened his eyes, and he did until he missed a turn and walked right into one of the bookshelves. 

“Whoops- ah, um. Didn’t- didn’t see that there,” he huffed out a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck as he met Dipper’s gaze, even Olive finding his blundering amusing.

Dipper smiled, pink dusting his cheeks. He wondered if Wirt would look this nice in the light of a campfire. Maybe as the flames burned low, they would have stars dancing in his eyes just as the candles did. Oh, yeah, Wirt probably looked very pretty by a campfire at night. It was going to be the sweetest of torture trying not to stare at him. Like he was currently doing with a stupid smile on his face.

“It's fine. You're- you’re great. Fine. I mean. Yeah.” He ducked his head, Tyrone swatting at the bill of his cap. “It’s a little dark in here so... yeah.”

“There's another puzzle!” Mabel called and Dipper couldn’t get to it fast enough.

It was similar to the first, though now the task was to light those types which were weak to fire. Fairy, steel, and grass were lit and another trainer was fought and defeated, Mabel switching to Smeargle. Between confusion and Nido’s poison, the trainer lost just as quickly as Mrs. Daniels had, and then it was on to the third puzzle.

This one was Dipper’s favorite. He grinned, glancing at Wirt as the riddle turned in his mind. It was a strategy-based riddle, the scenario pitting Pokemon with different levels and moves against one another. The obvious choice would be the lowest level, but there was more to consider than that. It made his mind have to work and his excitement heightened, only brightening his eyes in the candlelight. “Seriously, no other gym is going to be this good.”

Wirt couldn’t help laughing softly, enamored with his eager delight. There was something contagious about it that had his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. “Make sure you tell Mom that. She enjoys making people work for their Pokemon battles, but I don’t think she thinks many people appreciate that very much.”

“I'll let her know after we beat her. Maybe it'll help her feel better about losing.” Dipper bumped their hips together before lighting the Flareon’s candle, and the passage opened to reveal the last gym trainer. This time Mabel sent out her own Nidoran, the light blue Pokemon as thrilled to battle beside her brother as Mabel was, the girl’s attack upped with that eagerness alone, and down the last trainer went.

In the heart of the maze, the battle arena was illuminated by two large fireplaces. At one end was a chair, Amy sitting in it with a book open in her lap as she stroked her Ninetails. She looked up at them as they entered, smile brightening while she closed the book. 

“Hey, kids,” she greeted. “How’s your day been so far?”

“Amazing, Mom! Dipper caught a Pokemon and then he and Mabel beat everyone!” Greg told her excitedly.

Her grin grew. “Sounds like a busy day. Feel free to take some time to make sure your Pokemon are in good shape before we get started.” Amy rose from her seat and her Ninetails followed, waiting for the go ahead from the gym leader before crossing to greet Wirt and Greg, eyes closing in contentment as they pet her. 

The twins grinned, Mabel unable to keep from joining the half-brothers in petting the regal Pokemon. She was too soft to resist. “Your gym’s so pretty. I love it.”

“Thank you,” she laughed. “I definitely threw in my own touches when I took it over. Fire type gyms full of lava just seem a bit overdone.” 

“Plus Mom really likes books,” Greg added with a giggle.

“We can tell. But, man, I could spend forever in here just reading,” Dipper decided, digging in his bag. He withdrew a silk ribbon, the cornflower blue the same shade as his hat, and Tyrone trilled excitedly. “Okay, okay, calm down. You'll get it.”

Thrilled, she sat in front of him and pawed at his leg when he crouched down to tie the ribbon into a bow around her neck. She darted to Wirt, swatting at him for attention. “Ty, come on, you can show them later.” She trilled, ignoring Dipper for the moment.

Wirt grinned, lowering into a crouch as well to bestow his attention on the Eevee as he scratched behind her ear and just under her chin. “That’s a very pretty bow, Ty. You’re gonna make all the other Pokemon jealous. Ribbon especially. She loves bows. Think she and Ve should watch your fight?”

She bounced, scooting closer to bat at the Poke Balls on his belt. She knew which was Ve’s now. Dipper shook his head. “Wirt, you spoil her worse than I do.”

“That's not possible,” Mabel teased.

Wirt simply glanced up at Dipper and shrugged, laughing as Tyrone continued to prod Ve’s Poke Ball. “Okay, okay. Here we go.” He unclipped them both and sent them out, Ve immediately pouncing on Ty while Ribbon sought Wirt for snuggles. 

Amy’s Ninetails observed Ve and Ty quietly, lightly nudging the Vulpix with her paw when they rolled her way. “Make sure they behave themselves, Wirt.” Amy grinned at him, knowing full well that he would. “Alright, if neither of you object to it, I will use two Pokemon in each of my battles with you. Do you know who’ll face me first? Or is that something you still need to decide?”

“Mabel always goes first,” Dipper pointed out even as Mabel chimed in, “I always go first.” They exchanged glances, him shrugging at her grin.

“And I'm ready!” She placed her hands on her hips, beaming. “Waddles and... one of the others. We'll find out who together.”

Amy nodded. “Okay. I’m excited. A fire on fire battle should be fun.” She called her Ninetails to her side and stroked along her back before returning her to her Poke Ball. “Let’s begin.”

“Oh boy!” Greg scrambled to sit on a cushioned bench that was off to the side of the arena, wiggling happily as Wirt sat beside him and Olive on his other side. “I bet Mabel’s gonna win easy.”

“I hope so,” Wirt replied as he helped Ribbon settle in his lap, really hoping that she followed Dipper’s advice and used neither Glaceon or Lily after Waddles. Or Espurr. Wirt was pretty sure all of his mom’s Pokemon could take down the little psychic type easily.

“She'll be fine. When Waddles isn't being lazy, he's a little tank like Nido. She may not need to pull out a second Pokemon, depending on how he's feeling.” Dipper sat beside Wirt, letting Tyrone play with Ve for a little while longer. They'd get serious when the battle did.

Mabel withdrew Waddles’s Poke Ball, sending him out at her feet. She crouched down, giving the Tepig a hug. “Okay, Waddles, we've gotta get that sun badge, okay? You just do your best, and we'll win.” He butted her palm with his nose, snuffling, and she giggled. “Good. Let's go, Waddles!”

“Flare, come on out.” Amy released her Flareon into the arena, Ribbon perking up at the sight of her dad. His tail swished regally as he fluffed out his fire-tinged fur and preened. A metal spiral was wrapped around one of his paws, a grip claw. “Alright, let’s get this battle started. Use smog.” A plume of poisonous gases was emitted from the fur around the Flareon’s chest, surrounding Waddles.

Mabel gasped. “Protect!” A shield went up around the Tepig, blocking him from being poisoned. “Nice and strong, Waddles, with-” She glanced her twin's way quickly. “Rock smash!” With a squeal, Waddles pounded the floor and rocks rose from it to pelt the Flareon.

“Flare, quick attack. Avoid the rocks if you can.” Amy’s demeanor changed as they battled, all business and no fluff, despite how fluffy her Pokemon was. 

He darted about, weaving across the battlefield, but couldn’t help getting clipped by a few rocks before barrelling into Waddles. The Flareon bounded away quickly, keeping a moderate amount of distance between the two of them between attacks, tail and fur around his neck fluffing up. “Shadow ball.” His eyes glowed purple as a dark cloud of energy gathered in front of him as he aimed and fired it off in the Tepig’s direction.

“Waddles!” He rolled to avoid the attack, hooves stomping the ground. Mabel bit her lip. Battling by herself was always different from battling with Dipper. He usually dealt the stronger moves while she worked defense and had her Pokemon use the more playful moves. This was harder, but she had no intention of losing. Smeargle knew a water move, so she could use him for the next Pokemon. But it was time to take Flareon down.

It just sucked that Waddles’s strongest move would also hurt him. The rock type move would do twice the damage to Flareon, though. “Head smash!” The Tepig tucked his head down and ran, the compact little body surprisingly fast. He hit the Flareon dead-on, sending him flying to the edges of the arena. But the essential headbutt did it's damage on Waddles, the pig Pokemon weaving unsteadily as he trotted back to Mabel. “Good boy. It's okay. That was so great. I've got a bunch of berries just for you, I promise.”

Flareon went down, and he was returned to his Poke Ball when he couldn’t recover from the attack. “Good work, buddy,” she murmured to him before taking out her second for this battle. “Let’s go, Royal.” An Arcanine burst from his Poke Ball with a growl of approval, entering the battle regally. “Extreme speed.” The first strike move was extremely fast, the Arcanine’s massive paws appearing as if they weren’t even touching the ground with how quickly he moved.

Waddles wasn’t nearly fast enough to avoid it, taking the hit hard. Mabel gasped when Waddles stepped back. He wasn’t out yet, but it was too close for Mabel’s comfort. “Come on back, Waddles. You did such a good job.” She kept the Poke Ball in her grasp, keeping him close even while she let out Smeargle. 

He'd sketched enough moves to keep any type at bay, including one he'd learned in Jonathan’s gym. “Come on, buddy, let's do this! Aqua tail!” The green edging his tail faded to blue and then began to drip like water. He ran at the Arcanine, slapping it hard with his tail and soaking his fur.

The Arcanine winced, shuddering a little before shaking off the water with a growl. “Royal, flamethrower.” He opened his mouth and shot out an intense stream of fire at Smeargle.

Smeargle dodged, but wasn't able to evade the entire move. “Shake it off, Smeargle, and get him with confusion!” He shook, glancing back at Mabel before aiming a beam at the Arcanine to leave him dizzy and confused. “Atta boy! Keep it up!”

“You’ve got this, Royal. Fire off another flamethrower.” Though the Arcanine swayed and blinked dizzily, he managed to keep from hurting himself in his confusion and blasted Smeargle with another surge of fire.

This time he dodged more effectively. “Let’s try mud bomb!” Smeargle’s tail turned brown, a hard-packed ball of mud being painted in thin air and launched at the Arcanine. It splattered him in the face, doing significant damage as a ground attack and lowering the Pokemon’s accuracy.

The Arcanine scrubbed at his face with his paw in an attempt to clear the mud away. “Crunch, Royal.” Using his sense of smell to detect where Smeargle was, Arcanine ran at him and managed to sink his teeth into the paintbrush-like tail.

Dipper’s knee bounced nervously as he watched Smeargle flinch, too surprised to heed Mabel's next call, biting back the urge to call out suggestions. She wasn't picking bad moves, but they were on the weak side. He knew her well enough to know that she'd start to get anxious soon enough, the time the battle took wearing on her. From who she had available, Smeargle’s variety of moves was best when facing the Arcanine.

Tyrone climbed into his lap, redirecting his fidgeting into pets. “A lot of offense,” he murmured. “You'll have to move fast to avoid being hit.” She trilled, wiggling in his lap. “Yeah, I know you'll be fine.” She looked up, reaching up to swat his nose. “Okay, okay. So will Mabel.”

“Yeah. She’s- she’s doing great. I mean, Royal’s tough. Not that Flare isn’t tough, too, but yeah. I think she’s got this. Roy’s not doing so hot himself,” Wirt murmured, letting Ve hop into his lap beside Ribbon just as the large dog Pokemon missed his next attack from the drop in accuracy. 

“Alright, Roy. Rest.” As offense heavy as her attacks were, Amy also knew when her Pokemon needed to regroup. The Arcanine stepped back close to her and sat down, letting his head drop as he closed his eyes and fell asleep, his health recovering itself.

Mabel bit her lip, trying to think of a stronger move. When she'd first gotten Smeargle, she'd had him sketch every move they saw. He had a very good memory, thankfully, and with help from Dipper, he'd retained nearly everything. But they hadn't faced many rock or ground types and aqua tail had been the only water type move he'd needed to sketch.

But their first gym against Manly Dan’s fighting types had given Smeargle an especially strong move. It would exhaust him into requiring a rest, but hopefully the Arcanine’s health was still low enough that this would end the battle. Maybe. “Rock wrecker, Smeargle!” The Pokemon quickly painted a giant boulder, hurtling it towards Royal with every bit of its strength and speed for a dead-on strike.

The Arcanine was still in the middle of restoring his health, the attack strong enough to deplete what remained of it. He slumped to one side, disappearing into his Poke Ball before he could hit the floor, Amy unwilling to let it come to that. “Good boy, Royal. You did great,” she told the ball as she clipped it to her belt, then looked up at Mabel and Smeargle, beaming. “You did great, too. You’re an amazing trainer, Mabel. Congratulations.”

“I did it? I did it!” She leapt up, then swept her very tired Smeargle up for a hug. “Oh my gosh, you did so good! Come on. You can rest in your Poke Ball.” She recalled him just as he was drifting off, then spun towards the other three. “I won! Woo!”

“Yeah! Mabel!” Greg shot up and darted over to her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. “You were the best!”

Wirt patted himself over his heart, trying to still the rush of nerves tight in his chest. “Yeah, great job. You really hung in there.”

Mabel scooped Greg up, twirling. “That sun badge is totally mine! Rainbows everywhere!”

Dipper laughed, relieved, and Ty leapt down to stretch lazily. It was her turn to battle, and she was ready to go and eager to maybe show off a little for the Vulpix still in Wirt's lap. “Nice job, Mabel. We'll go to the Center again for Waddles. He took some hard hits.”

“He really did, but he held on. He did so great, and I was thinking about switching Smeargle out, but he was really doing so good and, oh my gosh, I won! Thanks, Amy! That was so much fun! Will Royal and Flare be okay?”

Amy chuckled, patting both of their Poke Balls fondly. “It’s not the first time they’ve been taken down by a talented trainer. They’ll be fine. I’ll revive them and treat them to some berries before Dipper and I start our match. Flare’s ego might be a little bruised, but he can handle it.” 

She went over to a cabinet near her reading nook and pulled out a sleek, mahogany wood case. Inside were dozens of glimmering sun badges and Amy plucked one out before setting the box aside. She crossed the room to Mabel and handed her the pin with a warm smile.

“You more than deserve this badge, Mabel. Keep training hard, and never forget to have fun with your Pokemon, too. They love you and trust you, and you more than deserve it. Good luck on the rest of your journey.”

“Thank you.” Mabel laughed, settling Greg on her shoulders so she could run her fingers over the badge. “It’s so pretty. Oh my gosh.”

Dipper wandered over, hands tucked in his pockets, and nudged his twin. “You totally earned it. That was good thinking, using rock wrecker.”

“I couldn't remember any of his other rock type moves,” she admitted with a giggle. “I think he and I need to practice a little more.”

“We'll work on it. Smeargle’s smart, and you know he'll keep getting better.”

“You know it, bro-bro! He's the best Smeargle out there!”

“No other Smeargles can compete!” Greg giggled, pumping his fist in the air. 

He’d left behind his Poliwag, so Wirt scooped him up as Ve and Ribbon bounded to the floor. He carried him over to them and set the little guy atop Greg’s head, who gasped in delight and gave him a big hug. “The two of you make a great team,” he added to Mabel. “You and all of your Pokemon. Even if you couldn’t remember all of his moves, you know him well enough to still look out for him in battle.”

She beamed, bouncing in place. “They know I'd never ask for something they couldn't handle. That's why I switched Waddles out when I did. He could've kept going, but I didn't want to make him.” She unclipped the rain cloud badge from her bag and attached it to the sun badge, cheering when a rainbow did indeed shine from them. “That's it. I'm done. I never have to get another badge. This is the best!”

Tyrone chirped, rubbing her legs affectionately, so Mabel set Greg on the floor before crouching to pet her. “Thanks, Ty. I love you too, sweetie, and you're going to make sure Dipper gets one of these too, aren't you?” She trilled, positively preening.

Amy grinned at Dipper. “Are you ready to start our battle?”

“He was born ready!” Greg announced on his behalf, then laughed when Wirt flicked him in the forehead.

“Thank you for your contribution, honey, but I think I’ll wait for Dipper’s answer.” Amy winked at her youngest son.

Dipper laughed. “Greg's right this time. I'm totally ready if you are.”

“Excellent. Let’s begin then.” She ruffled Greg’s hair before returning to her side of the gym. 

Greg puffed out his cheeks as he looked up at Wirt, following him back to their seats. “But I’m always right every time, aren’t I?” he asked, and Wirt had to chuckle even as he rolled his eyes.

After administering two revives to her fallen Pokemon, Amy readied her next two for the fight with Dipper. “I think I’ll mix things up a little and start with my starter. I don’t tend to use him in gym battles, but after Jon told me about how you took down his Blastoise, I can’t help but be interested to see how this goes.” She rolled a Poke Ball in her hand, then tossed it out. “Scorch, let’s go.” 

A Typhlosion appeared on the field, flames erupting along his collarbone and shoulders as he surveyed Dipper and his Eevee.

Tyrone shifted her stance as Mabel joined the half-brothers, taking up Dipper’s spot beside Wirt while her twin grinned. He pushed his hat back and crouched down to Ty’s level. “Alright, girl. We’re going to do our best, okay? I know she's our friend, but that won't change if we win.”

Tyrone wiggled, trilling in understanding, and pranced into the arena with her head held high. Throughout the week she'd been quite the princess, lazing about in her trainer’s arms or whichever lap welcomed her. She was as sweet and cuddly as Ve and Ribbon, who were essentially harmless. Now with her pretty little bow around her neck and her fur fluffed with pride, she looked like a tiny, pretty pet rather than a Pokemon capable of battle.

The Typhlosion snorted, glancing back at the gym leader over his shoulder. “Trust me, Scorch. I know what I’m doing. You know better than to underestimate a pretty face. Or a pretty bow for that matter,” Amy chided him, and he accepted that with another snort and readied himself for battle. “Start with focus blast.”

Scorch seemed hesitant to use such a move on an Eevee, but his flames grew as he heightened his mental focus before charging, swiping at Tyrone with powerful strokes of his arms. Wirt bit his tongue, glancing his mom’s way and then Dipper’s. Scorch knew quite a few fighting moves, one of the types most detrimental to normals, and he was certainly his mom’s most aggressive Pokemon. He could only hope Ty’s speed was enough to evade his blows.

“If she wants to see our best, let's do it. Dodge and swift,” Dipper ordered and the sweet looking Pokemon vanished. She reappeared behind the Typhlosion, paws not quite touching the ground and stars already spinning wildly around her. They shot out as one and not a single star missed its target, Tyrone quick to dart back towards Dipper with a pleased trill. The silk ribbon she wore enhanced her normal type moves and, whether or not it knew fighting moves, the Typhlosion was still just a fire type. “Good girl.”

“See?” Amy told her Typhlosion as he doubled over from the attack. “No more underestimating, buddy. Take this battle seriously. Fire blast.”

Scorch growled, flames intensifying as he stared the Eevee down, determined not to be beat by her. A massive, five-point wall of fire hurtled towards Tyrone, the Typhlosion putting his all into the fight now.

Tyrone dodged again, a blur of motion. Dipper’s “tackle” was obeyed immediately, the little Eevee plowing full force into the larger Pokemon and sending him flying back towards Amy. “One more good hit, Ty.” She chirped, ready to move again.

Weaving unsteadily, the Typhlosion tried to shake off the effects of the two normal type moves that had him absolutely stunned. Tyrone was at a much higher level than he’d anticipated. Amy commanded another fire blast that he shot off with vigor, hoping to at least graze the super Eevee in an attempt to weaken her for the next Pokemon in line to battle.

“Swift again,” Dipper decided, the speedy little Eevee once more coming up behind the Typhlosion to pelt him with enough stars to have him fainting. Tyrone pranced back to Dipper, glancing towards the others to make sure they - and hopefully Ve - were watching. Her trainer laughed. “One more Pokemon, Ty! You can do it.”

“Go, Ty! You’re the super Eevee!” Greg cheered while Wirt laughed breathlessly, awed and relieved that she’d taken him down so easily. That Dipper had trained a Pokemon that could. From his lap, Ve wriggled and yipped excitedly, and Wirt stroked her side to keep her relatively calm.

“Flannery, you’re up.” Scorch was recalled to his Poke Ball while Amy’s Ninetails returned to the playing field. Her tails flowed and fluffed out as she walked with elegant poise to take her place in front of the gym leader. “Extrasensory.”

She tossed her head, eyes glowing gold as a pulse of psychic energy swept across the field. Ve’s ears perked up and Wirt scratched behind them as they both paid close attention to the way the Ninetails battled and the way her trainer handled her.

Tyrone couldn’t avoid the wide-ranged attack, but it didn't do much damage. She was very used to psychic types. Shaking it off, she prepared for her next move. “Shadow ball!” Tyrone called out, summoning a dark ball of energy that struck the Ninetails firmly, lowering its special defense. “Follow it up with a quick attack!” With the same impressive speed as the last opponent, Tyrone struck the Ninetails in the side, sending her skidding away, but something was immediately wrong with the smaller Pokemon.

Ears dropping, she scrambled back to Dipper, but she wasn't bouncing any longer. “Ty? You okay?” The Eevee trilled, gaze darting between Ve and Flannery. She'd cuddled and played with Ve more than enough to recognize that scent. This wasn’t just a Ninetails. This was Velvet’s mom, and Tyrone was suddenly much less keen on battling with that knowledge. But she didn’t want to let Dipper down either, so shifted back to her battle stance in preparation of whatever came next.

“Will-o-wisp, Flannery.” The Ninetails retaliated with the attack Velvet had tried during their first play battle, but this Pokemon was far more successful with it. Her eyes turned an eerie dark purple color as each point of her tails stiffened. A purplish flame appeared on the nine points, then were fired in a variety of directions in order to catch the speedy little Eevee.

“What’s wrong with Tyrone?” Greg asked Wirt and Mabel, blinking at them in confusion while the battle continued. “She’s winning. Why’s she upset?”

Wirt pursed his lips as he glanced between the Eevee and the Ninetails, feeling the warm bundle of fur in his lap wriggle some more. “I think I might have an idea…” he murmured, flicking his gaze down at his Vulpix as she looked up at him with a little trill. “Dipper! You know how I got Ve and Ribbon as eggs? Ve came from one of Flannery’s.”

Dipper blinked, staring at Wirt for a moment. “Seriously?” That was something they hadn't needed to worry about ever before. Sure, the two of them had talked about facing Amy. She wasn't a problem. But neither were ready to deal with Ve’s parent. Not many Pokemon had the opportunity to interact with a parent. Those that did, though, tended to form very close bonds.

Dipper watched Tyrone falter, uncertainty slowing her down. She couldn't evade all the wisps, and ended up with a burn. “Ty, come here!” While she limped over, he dug a rawst berry out of his bag and gave it to her, using his turn to heal and soothe. “It'll be okay. Ve knows it's just a battle. You can still fight to win.” She rubbed her head against his palm. “Yeah, it's okay,” he murmured. “It’s just like me fighting Wirt’s mom. He'll still be my friend if I win, and Ve’ll still be your friend. Are you okay now?”

She trilled and hopped up, entering the arena with fresh verve. She didn’t want to let her trainer down and trusted his judgement. If Ve wouldn't be upset, she could battle and win him the shiny badge he wanted.

Amy’s lips quirked up as the Eevee’s bounce returned. “Will-o-wisp again, Flannery. Let’s see if you can still catch her.” The Ninetails trilled and repeated the attack, her vigor heightened.

Ve made a soft purr-like sound that rumbled in her chest, and Wirt could feel the vibration through his hands as he pet her. She knew better than to disturb the battle with any noise louder than that, to keep from distracting either Pokemon, but he debated putting her away for the time being anyway, just to keep from bothering Tyrone. Seeing her get burned had him fidgeting, even though she was doing a great job so far, so fast and so accurate, he’d hate for one of his Pokemon to be the reason she got hurt or faltered. 

This time none of the hits landed, but Tyrone was surprised to hear “trump card” from her trainer. They rarely used that as its power level was so sporadic, but she appreciated the weaker move nonetheless. Dipper understood that she still wanted to be somewhat gentle, so when she zipped around Flannery to attack from the side, playing cards whirled around her like the stars for swift and sped towards the Ninetails.

Dipper’s mind was whirling in a similar fashion. With physical attacks off the table, Tyrone was limited even more than normal in her damage-dealing move options. Most of what she was capable of were physical attacks, but she knew enough specials that they should still be alright. But would she be able to keep at it until the battle was won? He watched her carefully, uncertain when her gaze left the arena and traveled towards Ve again when the Ninetails weaved. It was quick enough that he didn't call out to her, but it made it clear that she might not manage to make Flannery faint.

Then what?

Amy and Wirt didn’t miss the glance cast towards the Vulpix either. The gym leader used her turn to heal Flannery with a super potion, the Ninetails shaking off her aches and pains as she braced herself for Tyrone's next attack. Wirt reached for Ve’s Poke Ball, but she noticed and leapt from his lap to the floor with a disgruntled sound. He frowned at her, but wasn’t going to force her into her Poke Ball. 

“Stay here with Mabel and Olive, I’m going to take her out,” he told Greg as he scooped up the Vulpix into his arms and stood. 

“Aye aye, captain.” Greg saluted him, though he frowned some. “But you’re gonna miss the best part. Dipper winning!”

“Yeah, I know.” Wirt bit down on his lip, wanting nothing more than to see the boy he liked in his moment of triumph, but if he stayed, then he might not be able to anyway. 

Tyrone noticed the movement, shrinking down a little when she realized Ve was being taken away, and Dipper couldn’t do it. He couldn't make her keep going, no matter what type of attack it was. Mabel’s win was good enough. “Ty, return. We’re done.” The Eevee made her way to him, hiding behind his legs while he rubbed the back of his neck. “I'm sorry. I just- she doesn't want to do this, and I'm not gonna make her.”

“I understand. You are allowed to use one more Pokémon though.” Amy nodded, smile nothing but kind while her Ninetails sat primly as she tilted her head to observe Tyrone.

He shook his head. “Nido did his job already and needs the rest, and... Finn’s just not an option.” Tyrone swatted his leg, ears twitching, so he stooped down to scoop her up. She made an apologetic sound, rubbing her head beneath his chin. “It's okay, girl. I'm not mad at you.”

“Alright then. If you’re sure.” Amy looked to her Ninetails. “Return, Flannery. Good work.” She padded over to her and rubbed against her leg as she nuzzled the gym leader’s hand. “Let’s get this boy his sun badge.”

Dipper blinked, looking up. “Wha- But I didn't win. I quit.”

“You and I both know the battle was yours. I was just curious to see how long Flannery could last. There’s no doubt in my mind that you would’ve won had you decided to see this through. But that’s not why I’m giving you this badge.” Amy retrieved the case filled with sun badges and picked one for Dipper. “The person with the last Pokémon standing isn’t always the winner. You quit, yes, but you quit because you were listening to the wishes of your Pokemon instead of forcing her to fight against her will. You have the power to make her. She listens to you and respects you. But even though you have that power, you didn’t exploit it. In my mind, that makes you a winner.” She crossed the arena, her Ninetails trotting alongside her, so she could scratch behind Tyrone’s ear and offer Dipper his badge. “Congratulations, Dipper. You are a trainer worthy of the sun badge.”

Dipper stared at it, then at her, eyes widening. He'd been so ready to walk away without it. “I... Seriously? You’re- I mean it's not just because, like, we've been staying with you?”

“Oh my gosh, Dipper, you took down her Typhlosion in three moves!” Mabel called, jumping up. “Take your badge!”

“Well, I mean, I'm just-” Cheeks coloring, he reached out and took the badge. “Thanks. I- Thank you.”

“You earned it. You don’t have to thank me,” she assured him with a grin.

“Oh my gosh.” Wirt hugged Ve tightly while she wriggled and squirmed, breaking free of his hold to bound over to Dipper and rub against his legs. “I can’t believe- oh my gosh, Dipper!” With a breathless laugh, Wirt crossed over to him, arms lifting as if to grab him and Ty in an embrace, only to hesitate at the last minute and he tried to play it off as raking his hands through his hair, knocking his hat off his head.

“Even without winning you’re a winner!” Greg cheered while Ve braced her front paws on Dipper’s knee, standing on her hind legs.

Dipper cleared his throat, tearing his gaze from Wirt - he really wouldn't have minded that hug - to flash a grin at Greg. “We’ll say I half-won. That sounds better.” Then he crouched, giving Ve a scratch behind the ear. Tyrone had to be removed from his shoulder and set down in front of her, the Eevee uncharacteristically timid.

With a soft trill, Ve bumped her nose to Ty’s and pressed against her. Wirt smiled softly at the two of them, cheeks pink as he glanced at Dipper. “You more than half-won,” he told him. “You and Ty are an amazing team.”

The color that immediately filled Dipper’s face was a match. “Thanks, man.” He dropped his gaze to their Pokemon, smiling when Ty purred. She wiggled happily, and gave Ve’s cheek a bold little lick. Biting his lip, he looked up and wished he could be half as brave as her. How hard could it really be to tell him he was cute? To ask him to give a relationship a chance? Impossibly hard, it turned out, because Dipper rose and did neither. “She works really hard, and I just... try not to let her down, I guess.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.” Wirt scuffed his shoes against the floor, smile turning shy as Ve took to licking a little stripe between Ty’s eyes. 

Tyrone melted under the affection, tail wagging and purr rumbling as she snuggled closer. Dipper bumped Wirt’s hip with a “thanks” before withdrawing a slim case from his bag. Two badges were already nestled inside, and now the sun badge could be added to the plush interior. It hadn't been the sort of win he'd been expecting, but Ty and Ve were both happy with the situation. That was as much a win as adding a badge to his collection.

He closed the case with a grin, returning it to his bag. “So I think we go to the Pokemon Center one more time and then we can get going. We've got plenty of daylight left to make some headway.”

Mabel cheered. “Let's get this adventure started!”

“Yes!” Greg laughed, both arms flapping in the air before he turned to fling them around his mom’s waist. “Bye, Mom!”

Amy stooped down to give him a proper hug, squeezing him tightly to make him giggle. “Bye, Greg. Have so much fun, okay? And look after your brother. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he chirped and gave her back a pat. “Don’t worry, I’ll take real good care of Wirt.”

Wirt pursed his lips and frowned a little, but their mom was amused enough as she let him go with a kiss to his forehead. She rose and looked to her older son fondly, holding her arms out to him as well. He huffed, but gave her a hug anyway, clinging just a little bit. He’d said his goodbye to Jonathan before leaving, but this was completely different, not that he didn’t like or care about Jonathan. This was his mom though and he wasn’t sure when exactly he’d see her again.

Oh gosh, he was really doing this. He was really leaving home with two people he’d only just started to call his friends and his little brother and his Pokemon that he didn’t know how to battle with and he couldn’t do this, what was he thinking? Just because a guy with a cute face and huge heart that had him falling head over heels for him said he wanted him to come-

His mom kissed his cheek. “Stop that. You’ll be fine.” She stepped back and framed his face with her hands to make sure he made eye contact with her. “You know you will be. You’re going to have a great time, don’t let yourself get in the way of that.”

Wirt swallowed thickly. “Okay… yeah, sure.”

She gave his cheek a pat. “I love you.”

“Yeah, love you, too.” 

His voice was strained as she let go of him, and he watched her say goodbye to Olive next, as well as Flannery with Ve and Ribbon. They could do this. They would be fine. He could train Ve to make her stronger since she seemed the most interested, and Olive and Ribbon wouldn’t ever have to fight. Plus they had Dipper and Mabel on their side. What could possibly go wrong?


End file.
